


The Brightside

by FistfightingGodBrb



Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A lot of Hurt, A lot of bad shit, Angst, Awkward situations, Beta found, Character Death, Death, Depends, Eventual Good Ending, Fighting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, God smiting down Reader, Karma - Freeform, Kidnapping, Magic, Major Character Injury, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Murder, Obsession, Reader uses female pronouns, Smut, Snarky Guide, Torture, Video Game, Who is obsessed, and you to read, but also a lot of comfort, dating simulator, enough funny tags, game mechanics, no beta we die like men, possibly, probably not, questionable morals, questionable smut scenes, reader has magic, reset, that's for me to know - Freeform, transmirgation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 82,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26515507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FistfightingGodBrb/pseuds/FistfightingGodBrb
Summary: Y/N never really had the best of luck but this? This takes the cake. Being sucked into a mediocre dating sim was bad enough. But the characters aren't even acting right. What the hell are the 'sanity' and 'danger' rating settings even being used for?Why does she feel like she's going to die?(Inspired by ChocolateandDespair. Their story is amazing and mine is going to be a lite version at best I'm sure.)
Relationships: Papyrus/Reader, Sans/Reader, Sans/Reader/Papyrus
Comments: 422
Kudos: 336





	1. Bad Luck

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Transported into a shitty dating sim as a shitty villainess who can die any second!?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254107) by [ChocolateAndDespair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateAndDespair/pseuds/ChocolateAndDespair). 



Sometimes life fucking sucked. There were two main ways that life sucked. The times it did horrible things and you could fix it. More commonly, there were the times life went to hell in a handbasket and there was nothing you could do but pray it didn’t take you with it.

Or maybe, just maybe, Y/N was being overdramatic. But in her defense, life was throwing her a real curveball. Like, completely out of left field, defying all known laws of physics, and was messing with her head. Completely psycho.

Wait, no backing up. No use getting ahead of herself. It’s better to start where…  _ this _ situation all began.

See, it all started with a  _ bang _ , creating the universe in a-- wait no, that’s too far back. Really, it all started… maybe three, four months ago. It’s hard to tell, mostly because half the time time itself doesn't feel like it exists.

Around that time, an indefinite amount of time ago because time management was  _ not _ one of Y/N’s main skills, was when a game came out. 

It wasn’t anything special in the beginning. Your standard cliched reverse harem game with a lot of routes. What it had in decent graphics and player choice, it lacked in uniqueness. Cliche after cliche after cliche, each character basically being either a tall skeleton monster or a short skeleton monster.

Y/N didn’t play many romance games but, hey, romancing a skeleton during a time of absolute boredom had to be  _ somewhat _ exciting, right? Wrong. Did that stop Y/N from playing the more interesting-looking character’s routes and watching the rest on youtube? Absolutely fucking not.

Funny how people can become addicted to things they hate. It was annoying as hell how Y/N kept going back to the game. Rarely did she actually play it. Just opening it up, staring at the title screen losing all will to play it, and closing it out.

Then came the ‘super secret character’. Announced during something Y/N read on some online forum from the developers. Something about a secret route no one had found yet, time-space shenanigans, and a couple of things that Y/N read and immediately forgot.

So what did Y/N do with this new information that defied all logic? Did she wait for youtubers and/or hackers to find the super secret character like a normal, not obsessed person would do? Of course not!

Youtubers and Hackers may have found all the outer secret characters and even secret stats not visible in game. What the game had a ‘sanity’ and ‘danger’ rating for no one knew. But they didn’t find the super secret character! Months probably spent scouring the game’s code and they didn’t find it.

Despite the screaming, possibly on fire, bright red flags that said Y/N probably shouldn’t be playing this game again, she did. Really, what’s the worst that could happen? 

Bright, mediocre graphics assaulted her eyes day in and day out. Y/N could probably redraw each one from memory at this point. Did she find the super secret character? Well, not yet. It was taking up a lot of her time and ruining her sleep schedule. But, hey, it’s not like she had anything better to do.

Then came the fatal family gathering. A yearly event where the family got together for nor reason other than they could. Family that never visited her came and relatives Y/N didn’t really know tried to talk to. It was torture but at least she had video games.

Like always, the entire situation was incredibly awkward. Out of politeness, Y/N talked to these people who were basically strangers who had similar blood but… well it didn’t seem like they had the same courtesy.

A few others were sane like Y/N was and they all huddled on a picnic bench as far from the gathering as they could reasonably go. It would be rude to skip. So, really, this was a nice middle ground.

To make an already socially awkward situation even worse, it started raining. Not just the light drizzle that the weather report warned off. Of course not, that would be too easy. No, it started pouring, hard. The thunder was just the cherry on top of this mud pie.

Despite the fact that half the party was in t-shirts and shorts, the gathering wasn’t immediately disbanded. No, It took the wind picking enough to make the small, useless shelter damn near fly away and the little protection she had was useless for her parents to announce everything should just go home. 

Most people already had. The only reason Y/N stuck around was so her console didn’t get soaked. A vain attempt to wait out the storm that was only getting worse,

Safe to say, it didn’t work. To make matters worse, Y/N didn’t have a car. Meaning, she had to walk 5 blocks from the park to her crappy apartment building. In the pouring rain. During a thunderstorm. Fun.

Then came the worst part of the day, really there wasn’t much that could be worse. What happened? God decided to smite Y/N from this mortal coil. Apparently the thunderstorm had arrived specifically to pick on Y/N.

Or, again, Y/N might just be overdramatic… actually that was the more likely option. Still, considering how horrible her last day was, Y/N deserved to be overdramatic. She didn’t even get to find out who the super secret character was!

Really, it was making her much more frustrated then she really should be. Really, it would be better to just let it go. Why could she just get that game out of her mind?

Mind… wait… she was thinking? But she was dead? Right? Y/N was just smote into a scorch mark on the ground, how the hell was she still aware? What else could Y/N still do? 

Sore muscles and tight fingers stretched hesitantly. Well, sore wasn’t the right word. More… thin? Yeah, thin, like it was bubblegum pulled over her fingers. Threatening to snap if she moved too much and leaving the echo of aches in her joints.

Oh, to hell with it. Let her bubblegum joints break like toothpicks, it’s not like Y/N could die twice. Maneuvering into what felt like a sitting position, she opened her eyes. Or did she? Really it was impossible to tell. There wasn’t much of a difference.

An endless black room stretched out as far as the eye could see. Y/N used the term ‘room’ very loosely. Really it was more like… a void, maybe what she imagined the endless pit of space to look like if all the stars went away. It didn’t seem to have any gravity either. If it did, she couldn’t feel the ‘floor’.

Time fell away, leaving Y/N to her thoughts as she attempted to scout the darkness around her. Days, months, years, who knows how long Y/N was there. Certainly not her. 

Through all that time, nothing seemed to be in the room. Then again, she never found any walls either. Just more and more darkness, constant and unending. Unsettling just being, even if nothing seemed to be hiding.

Lazily flipping through nothingness, unable to tell if she was even really going anywhere, it was easy to get bored. Y/N considered herself to be a pretty patient person, but not even a saint could live here and not get bored.

From the corner of her eye, she saw it. A bright orange… something. It sort of looked like the bastard child of an exclamation point and a colon. Bright and obvious and  _ how the hell had Y/N not noticed this? _

It could be dangerous, it could sheer her body-ghostish-form-thing and leave her consciousness here unable to move, it could do a lot of things. But Y/N was dead, dead and bored. So really, what did she have to lose?

***Ping***

**You Died!**

**Y/N Wyles**

**Born (D.O.B)**

**Cause of Death: Lighting Strike**

**Score: Halfway Decent Human Being**

**(+1 Perk, +1 #*%#*#$)**

**Start a New Life?**

**[Yes] / [** No **]**

The marker opened up into a tombstone shaped screen, dark blue with bright white text. At first, the sudden brightness hurt her eyes, then it seemed to catch up with Y/N’s brain that she didn’t really have eyes anymore so it shouldn’t hurt. Looking at it was much easier after that.

At the bottom left of the screen a book leaned against it. An old, soft green colored leather bound book reading  _ The Life of Y/N Wyles _ .

Y/N stared at the book, the rest of the screen almost entirely ignored. A shaking, incorporeal hand reached out, not visible in the dark, and picked it up.

Flicking through the book slowly, the quicker as she went further and further through, Y/N found everything she had ever done written down. Every fail, every success, everything she remembered and everything she didn’t. Each given a score to rate how good of a human being she was.

And the worst thing… the worst thing was it was all true. Every single thing true to life… and if the book was right then…

The book slipped through numb fingers, tumbling through the darkness and out of sight. Shaking hands reached up, clutching at the fragments of feeling what had been her shirt.

Y/N couldn’t deny it. She thought that maybe she was just in a coma. Maybe she survived being struck by lightning and she was just in the hospital recovering. She’d wake up one day and see her family again, her friends… but…

Everything the book said was true, every last bit. If the book was so accurate, then… then the tombstone had to be as well… Y/N really was dead… She really was never going to see her family again.

Curling up into a ball of ghost and misery, Y/N grieved. The tight ball in her chest pulling sobs from her mouth, the thin thread holding back all that emotion snapping.

Worst of all, Y/N couldn’t cry. Dry sobs would come from her mouth. Her not-quite-real chest heaved with each imaginary breath. But she couldn’t cry. Not anymore, maybe not ever again. 

Y/N remained curled up, hiding the screen from view as much as she physically could while being see-through and the screen being the only source of light. The human mind naturally can’t comprehend death. To know that this void was all that remained was far too much.

A supernatural calmness wretched its claws in her mind, tearing and clawing at the frail threads that remained in her mind. It tied them together, sinking deep into the depths of her psyche. Drawing Y/N back from the edge of oblivion.

That’s right, the tombstone said she could start a new game, right? That meant Y/N was going to live again. Even if she could never go back, the past had to remain in the past. There was nothing Y/N could do about it.

Several shuddering n0t-breaths left Y/N as she calmed herself. Or maybe it was that force lingering in the back of her mind. Whatever that was. But, no, she could worry about that after she figured out whatever this ‘new game’ thing was.

The only way to do that? Make a new game. It wasn’t like Y/N had any other choice.

**New Game Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Loading. . .**

**#%$^ERROR$$%#^** **  
** ***Player Character Not Found***

**Rerouting To *Character Creation***

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Character Creation Loaded**

**Welcome, Player 1**

Gravity restarted all at once, Y/N barely getting time to register ‘Character Creation’ before she dropped down into the darkness. The void enveloped her. She couldn’t breathe. She shouldn’t need to breathe, why couldn’t she breathe?

Gasping at nothing, struggling against a greater force, it was useless. Then it stopped. Air rushed back into her lungs, she now had lungs.

The room Y/N found herself in was an actual room. With walls she could see and a carpeted floor she could feel. There wasn’t any furniture in the room. Just her, the walls, and the floor. But, hey, she had to admit that at the very least it was better than before. Not that that was very hard.

***Ping***

**Enter Name:**

**_________**

A bluish holographic keyboard appeared under the text. The line to type blinking impatiently.

Well, it was a pretty simple answer. Y/N may not often think her name special, there were many like it but this one was her’s. A mild speed bump came from reaching her hands to type and seeing paper white skin, not at all like her usual color. It was almost like she was made of porcelain.

‘No, I'm making myself, right? It’s probably just the blank slate. Nothing more, nothing less.’ Taking a deep breath, and actually feeling herself breathe, Y/N typed her name in.

**Welcome Player, Y/N Wyles**

**Are you a:**

**Boy**

**or a**

**Girl?**

It wasn’t like she was planning on making anything but herself. Before Y/N could answer, a push came from behind. Something bouncing off of her back and sending her flying forward through the screen.

With a thud, Y/N impacted the floor. Thankfully, the carpet was rather soft and cushioned the fall. It didn’t stop her from groaning and she pulled herself to her knees.

“Ah! Sorry! I told ‘em not to push me so hard!” A chattering ball of light whizzed into view. Circling Y/N several times, it paused in front of her, still talking.

“It’s… okay? I’m sorry. Who are you? What are you?” was it rude to ask somewhat what they are? Probably. Y/N couldn’t bring herself to care now though. 

The ball of light stopped spinning, it bobbed up and down, as if jumping in place. It almost would’ve been cute if Y/N cared. Which was weird, usually she loved cute things.

“Oh, me? I’m” Y/N cried out as an indecipherable mess assaulted her ears, pressing her hands over them in an attempt to drown it out. The ball of light jerked back. It fell silent, seeming to stare at her… it didn’t have any eyes, how was it staring?

“R-right,,, Right! My name is kinda impossible for the mortal mind to comprehend, sorry about that! Really, sorry, you can give me a name! I kinda messed up your character creation anyway. You deserve it!” The ball of light began babbling again.

Numbly, Y/N realized that the voice she was hearing wasn’t coming from the ball of light. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, maybe even in her head. Shaking, Y/N lowered her hands from her ears. They weren’t doing anything anyway.

The light had messed up her character creation? Right, she was choosing a gender and the creature forced her through both options. What did that do? How was a person of both genders? Did she have both parts? Maybe? She didn’t care enough to bother figuring it out.

“Um,” the ball stopped fidgeting, “You never answered my question, what...exactly are you? If that isn’t too rude.” Y/N asked. There, that sounded nicer than the last time she asked.

“Right, right,” the thing, guy?, said that a lot, didn’t they, “I’m...well, the best word for it is a god! I’m uh… kinda the person who sent you here? Hehe… it was an accident! I swear!”

Sent Y/N here…?...! Oh my god, “You’re the one who smote me!” the hot rush of anger rose briefly in her chest, yet that supernatural calmness pushed back against it.

The ball of light, jerked back again, seeming to quiver. A cold feeling went through here, like a river. The anger left her with a sigh. God, Y/N knew she should be angry yet… she could bring herself to care. What was up with her?

“Just… don’t do it again Sparky.” Y/N sighed, standing up. Moving was weird, like she was made of plastic. It was pretty uncomfortable but, hey, at least she was alive again.

“Sparky? Oh! I like that. Wait, is that an insult? Probably deserve that. I did kill you.” Sparky, as Y/N guessed he was now named, hummed and bobbed around her head. Like a demented, kind of murdery god version of navi.

The rest of creating her character went pretty uneventfully. Although having her body change as she selected things on the screen was rather uncomfortable. Sparky the unhelpful narrator was there too.

Same hair, same eyes, same skin tone, maybe a bit different body shape because who could resist making their dream self? Y/N may not have gone all the way but, hey, close enough.

Her new… parts… were customizable too. It made her vaguely uncomfortable doing so. Y/N definitely made the world record for how fast you could customize your character there… then again, it probably wasn’t likely anyone else had to. Thanks Sparky.

A thought occurred towards the end of it, around where Y/N was just absentmindedly messing with hairstyles. 

“Hey Sparky, can I customize you?” Talking to a telepathic mini person would be a lot better than talking to a telepathic ball of light… maybe… who knew really. Not Y/N. Then again, at this point she didn’t really know a lot of things.

“Oh, well, I think so, why?” Sparky bobbed curiously in front of her vision, quickly going back to whizzing around her body.

A grin spread across her face, “Oh, no reason.” It took a bit of looking around, but eventually Y/N found the ‘guide customization’ option. Oh what fun!

It took a bit of working around. Sparky didn’t exactly make it easy. Their constant movement made it hard to see what the options looked like on them.

What they managed to make was a short fairy looking person. Short golden brown hair, dark blue eyes with a white square pupil --then again all the eye options had that kind of pupil-- in a little black and white hoodie and black leggings. No shoes were necessary, little blue butterfly wings sprouted from their back.

**Are you sure?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

“Seriously? They ask this of my appearance but not of my gender?” Y/N felt insulted. She didn’t know why but she felt insulted.

“Umm…” Sparky mumbled, “No, rhetorical question, nevermind.” Y/N cut them off. Sighing, and wow was Y/N doing that a lot recently, she confirmed her appearance. The screen closed out, leaving her and Sparky alone.

If there were crickets, they’d sound like sirens with how quiet the room was. Y/N didn’t know what she expected, but absolutely nothing happening was not it. The room still seemed the same. No screen popped up to say hello.

What were they waiting for? Should she ask Sparky? They probably knew better than her. You know, godhood and all. Unless they didn’t? Sparky did seem pretty careless. They  _ did  _ smite her on accident, somehow.

Knowing Y/N’s luck at this point, Sparky hadn’t bothered to remember what the process was going to be. She really, really hoped not. Was that going to change anything? No, it never did.

Eh, screw it, she was just going to ask. “So, um,” Sparky zoomed around, watching expectantly, “What next?” Y/N asked with a strained smile. Asking that question felt so awkward.

“Oh… oh! You customize your stats! Just gotta go through that door!” Sparky’s wings fluttered faster, if that was even possible, as he zoomed behind Y/N and out of view.

Door? Y/N hadn’t seen any… she turned around and lo and behold, there was a door. How had she missed that? Y/N blamed dying. The shock of dying was the only explanation she could think of for her current state of mind.

It was a plain white door, fitting perfectly into the dull beige monocolor room. The room it led into was less fitting of the door.

Sheet metal floors were chilled against her feet, quickly humming to life. Multicolored lines criss crossed through the thin breaks in the floor, glowing warmly. Dark walls, feeling sort of like a screen, were dim. The entire room was dim.

A glow came from the lines in the floor, an even softer glow coming from Sparky. All the lines in the room leading to a table in the middle.

The table was built into the ground, the lines of color on it still dim and lifeless. A phone of all things was the only other thing in the room, laying squarely on the table --or was it more of a bench? It looked more like a bench now that Y/N thought about it.

“What...what is this place?” the door closed behind Y/N as she stepped through. Walking and spinning around at the odd, almost futuristic looking room.

“This is your  **Pause** room!” Sparky chirped, “It’s kinda self explanatory how you get here, pause the game when in-game and all that.” They twirled around, zipping to hover over the bench.

“O-kay.” That made sense, kinda. Not that Y/N knew what you really did in a **Pause** room. Wait around? At the very least it was a safe space to take some time off. Even if time was supposedly, well,  _ paused _ while in there.

Y/N padded over to the bench, “Uhm, so what  _ is _ a  **Pause** room?” The bench didn’t light up when she touched it, it didn’t get any warmer either. Just a cold, flat piece of metal.

“Right, right, you don’t know what that is!” Sparky spun in a few circles, constantly moving, “Well, huh, essentially you can see everything about your character here!” Her character? Right, but she didn’t have stats or anything yet, nothing to see.

“On those screens you’ll see your stats, inventory space, skills, perks, SOUL stuffs, yada yada yada. You don’t have any of those yet, obviously. But when you do, the screens on the walls will light up! Gotta pick up that device on the table to start.” Sparky chirped.

“... You mean the phone?” Y/N muttered. Of course they meant the phone, Y/N berated herself, there wasn’t anything else in the room.

Upon touching the phone, nothing happened. Thankfully, it was just like any other phone and the little button on the side turned it on. The screen showed up as blank and white.

A screen, pretty much identical to the way the character creation screen looked, popped up above it. 

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 5 + -**

**END: 5 + -**

**DEX: 5 + -**

**AGI: 5 + -**

**INT: 5 + -**

**WIS: 5 + -**

**CHA: 5 + -**

**LUK: 5 + -**

**Points: 25**

Oh boy. Well, Y/N was pretty sure she knew what all of these meant. Except for maybe  **DEX** , which she was pretty sure was really Dexterity, and  **AGI** , agility maybe. Weren’t those basically the same thing?

***Ping***

**STR - Strength - How much you can lift, how hard you can hit, how much force you can withstand**

**END - Endurance - How long you can run/exercise, Longevity, Refractory period**

**DEX - Dexterity - How fast you can recover, how fast you can run, hand-eye coordination**

**AGI - Agility - How nimble you are, how well you can dodge, reaction time, foot-eye coordination**

**INT - Intelligence - How well you can memorize, Recall Time, Overall Book Smarts**

**WIS - Wisdom - General decision making skills, Street Smarts, MP Recovery**

**CHAR - Charisma - How attractive you are, Public speaking, Overall MP**

**LUK - Luck - How lucky you are**

Huh… okay nevermind. Apparently they were different. Wait a minute, “Did this thing just read my mind?” Y/N asked, feeling a little incredulous. It did not just- it did!

“Oh, well, um, yeah! You can’t be expected to just speak commands. Like in crowds and stuff, that would be weird.” Sparky hummed in response, fluttering by Y/N’s shoulder.

That was… actually that was a fair point. Generally speaking, people didn’t have full on conversations with themselves out loud. Some skill names were probably going to be pretty weird too… Still felt like an invasion of privacy somehow.

With a sigh, Y/N took a closer look at the stat block, making sure to memorize what each stat affected. She’d probably forget it later, so  **INT** was probably going to get a work out, but at least she’d be able to look it up again. 

Charisma affected MP? What the hell was MP? Mana? Magic? Either way, did that mean she could use magic? Cool but why Charisma of all things? Wasn’t that usually an Intelligence thing?

Part of Y/N wanted to ask, the grand majority didn’t really care. More magic and looking hotter? Probably not where her priorities should be but Y/N didn’t really see a downside to this. Intelligence was still useful but Charisma seemed to be where it’s at.

But did Y/N want to be a caster? Specialising in one thing this far in didn’t seem like a good idea. Maybe just being all around good at everything was good for now. She could specialize later… or maybe just be a mage who could also bench press a car. Now  _ that _ sounded cool as hell.

Decision made, she tried to spread her stat points as evenly as possible, even if Luck seemed a little lackluster compared to the others. Luck probably got her killed in her last life if she thought about it. Maybe she just had a really low luck stat. Or high considering she was now in this situation?

No, no, Y/N definitely had low Luck. In the negatives if that was even possible.

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 8 + -**

**END: 7 + -**

**DEX: 8 + -**

**AGI: 9 + -**

**INT: 7 + -**

**WIS: 9 + -**

**CHA: 10 + -**

**LUK: 7 + -**

**Points: 0**

**Confirm?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

There, that was even...ish. Okay maybe Charisma, Wisdom, and Agility were a  _ bit _ higher than the others but still. Y/N had a perfectly good reason for those.

Charisma and Wisdom were higher because magic was  _ awesome _ and the sooner she could fling around fireballs the better. Agility was higher because she wanted to be able to dodge bullets like a badass.

See? Perfectly reasonable explanation. Actually, why was she even justifying this to herself? The point difference was only by two at the most. She really needed to stop doing this.

**-SOUL-**

**Choose : (1)**

**#$ &$#(@: The focal point of #!#%^ [x] (Required to proceed)**

**Determination: Keeps you going no matter what. (+5 Base Endurance, low REP with anyone who remembers resets) (Access to [RESET] skill) [ ]**

**Patience: Everything heals with time. (+3 Base Intelligence) (Access to [Waiting] Skill)**

**Courage: Come at me! You won’t! (+5 Base Strength, -3 Base Intelligence) (Access to [Stone Edge] Skill) [ ]**

**Perseverance: Life may knock you down, get back up. (+5 Base Intelligence, -3 Base Strength) (Access to [Second Wind] Skill)**

**Kindness: Kill em’ with kindness. (+5 Base Charisma) (Access to [Persuasion] Skill)**

**Integrity: Honesty is the best policy. (+5 Base Wisdom, -3 Base Charisma) (Access to [Detect Lie] Skill)**

**Justice: Reap what you sow. (+5 Base Dexterity, -2 Base Intelligence) (Access to [Retribution] Skill)**

Was it odd that the extra Charisma, therefore more magic and therefore faster access to better magic, from the Kindness soul caught her attention before anything else? Probably. Especially since that first option was… well… certainly something.

Whatever that first option was would probably screw Y/N over in the end. At the moment though, she didn’t exactly care. She wanted that magical prowess damnit!

Pretty much the moment Y/N confirmed her choice, she doubled over as a surge of emotion brought tears to her eyes. Warm green flowed through the lines of the bench, taking over other colors in the floor until the majority of it was green.

Choking back a sob from… something… Y/N struggled to breathe from the sudden onslaught of just everything. The world around her, or maybe lack thereof, seemed so much clearer.

Taking deep breaths, she slowly pushed it back. Picking the phone back up with one hand and rubbing her chest with the other. It was like a weight was pressing against her chest. A sudden gain of something yet loss of another. Leaving her skin irritated, sensitive like a rash or too many bug bites.

Breathless, Y/N demanded “What...the hell… was that?” Her voice was barely a whisper, struggling under the weight of  _ something _ .

Sparky just smiled, “the finishing touch.”

Then, Y/N was falling.

She opened her eyes to the sky.

Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader should go to...
> 
> a. The Library (+3 Intelligence, New Character)  
> b. The Park (Mystery Item, New Character)  
> c. Grillby's (Possible job, New Character)
> 
> A mystery caller. Reader should...
> 
> a. Pick up  
> b. Hang up  
> c. Ignore Caller
> 
> Invited somewhere, Reader should...
> 
> a. Agree and Go  
> b. Agree and Not Go  
> c. Not Agree


	2. New Friends (?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a close call but by one vote, going to Grillby's beat going to the library. Keep voting folks!

Where had Y/N found herself now? A sore back, laying flat against the ground looking up towards the sky. The heavy weight in her chest felt stronger than before. Hopefully, she’d get used to it.

Sitting up with a groan, Y/N looked around where she had… fallen? Appeared? One of those. It was an alley way of some sort, relatively clean looking but being an alley it naturally had some grime to it. Namely in the form of trash bags, a dumpster, and some empty beer bottles. Gross, but at least it didn’t stink.

The alley opened at both ends. One side leading to what looked to be a line of shops from what she could see and the other across the street from what looked like a park. Neither side gave much explanation to where she was. Unless…

Y/N fiddled around a bit before she figured out how to open her inventory. Reaching into her pocket, a screen would appear with everything that was in her inventory. That… kind of made sense. Have to pull the object out of something, right? Even if some of the things in her inventory didn’t make sense to pull out of her pocket.

**-Inventory-**

  
  


**Sparky (‘Loyal’ Guide) - The one who struck you down atoning for his mistake…?**

**x 1 Set of plain clothes**

**x 1 Phone**

**x 1 Water bottle**

A whole water bottle? An entire set of clothes? Neither of those would fit into your average pants pocket. Especially not with what Y/N was wearing. Speaking off, who changed her? Or maybe she should not worry about what magical god voodoo bullshit changed her clothes and instead compliment their taste.

The outfit was nice in Y/N’s fashion inept view. A warm green crop top, a black band-like bracelet, high waisted black jeans with surprisingly deep pockets, and black combat boots she’d always worn in her past life. Really, they might as well ripped the outfit straight from her old wardrobe… Actually, they probably had. At least they chose one that didn’t make her new parts immediately obvious.

What was she doing again? Right, she needed her phone… and a backpack if she wanted to pull anything else out without drawing suspicion. First, Y/N would need money for that.

Flicking the phone on, Y/N was relieved to see it now functioned like an actual phone rather than be the stat block. Part of her wondered how she would get to her stat block now. The rest of her decided it would be better to figure that out later.

Opening the notes app, Y/N figured it would be best to make a list of everything she would need to survive now. Then she’d look around, try to figure out where she was, and put some sort of plan into action. But she was getting ahead of herself. First, figure out what the necessities were.

_ To Do: _

  * _Buy Backpack_



  * _Buy Food (possibly steal??? Would invt work for that??)_



  * _Find shelter (homeless shelter?? Rent apartment?)_


  * Figure out how to get stats higher (gym membership? library? What abt luck?)



Quickly, Y/N realized that basically everything she needed to do boiled down to one issue, money. Money of which she had none of. Not even a cent. Yet the gods had given her a change of clothes, a phone, and a water bottle? Well, Y/N wasn’t about to pretend to understand how a god’s mind works.

Right so that meant Y/N not only had to figure out where she was, but pray there was some low entry-level job willing to take her. Knowing her luck, there wouldn’t be. But hey, a girl could hope. Maybe there would be a shop nearby that needed a cashier or something.

For the first time since a week before she died, Y/N had some good luck. The phone had cell service! Not much but they could’ve not given her cell service and made her have to pay some company to get it. There was no way Y/N would be able to persuade someone to give her free cell service. Nor would she be able to find the company in the first place.

Now, time to find that job! Anything would be good at this point.

***Ping!***

**Quest Found!**

**[Labor for Hire]**

**When it comes down to it, survival is money. Get that job!**

**Objective: Get a job**

**Rewards: A job, 50 XP, REP with [???]**

**Accept?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

Well, that was an easy decision. Y/N was already going to get a job, now she was getting rewarded for it? Hell yes! Though the reputation thing was odd, what was with the question marks? Was it because Y/N didn’t know them. Probably.

Now, she both had a quest  _ and _ an idea on where to find her stat block. When the quest had pinged, the screen had come from a green dot on her bracelet. Current theory, not a bracelet but magic god voodoo that held the game stuff now that her phone was a phone. She’d figure that out later. One thing at a time and finding a job was first.

Standing in the alley like a creep, Y/N scrolled through the totally-not-google app on her phone. Seriously, Goggle? At least try to be creative. The only thing it confirmed was that this probably wasn’t her world if ‘Goggle’ was a thing.

Thankfully, there were also rip offs of job search websites like Yes’m --what that ripped off Y/N didn’t know-- and Cryptid --maybe monster? Not to mention regular old google, sorry Goggle, doing it’s thing.

No job really stood out to Y/N. Too many requirements, too far away, or bad reviews on SlidingDoor --Glassdoor?

With a defeated huff, Y/N looked around again. Just using the internet wasn’t going anywhere. Her skin still felt raw from whatever the fuck she went through in the  **Pause** room. A nap was practically calling her.

She could go to the park or a library or something and take a nap. But no, just because Y/N was hurting didn’t mean she should give up. Besides, the shopping district was right there. Or at least, she thought it was a shopping district.

Low and behold, it was a shopping district. Jewelry stores, what looked to be a clothing store, an arts store, what Y/N thinks is a dance studio. There were even off-brand Dominos down the street. Maybe she could find a shopping mall somewhere close. A cashier job with a crappy supervisor was looking pretty good right now.

Turning down the street, people passed by without glancing at her. Or if any did look, Y/N didn’t notice. She was too focused on the stores, looking for a ‘Help Wanted’ sign or really anything that would show that they were hiring. Nothing showed up and the off-brand Dominos was just making her hungry.

A few streets passed, no luck. Nobody seemed to be hiring and no one on the streets looked friendly enough for Y/N to ask if they knew of someone hiring. She was spiritually exhausted, really wanted some of that off-brand Dominos, and was on the verge of giving up.

Then Y/N turned the corner onto another lane, a couple blocks away from the park, and she finally saw something familiar. Though, Y/N wasn’t sure she liked how familiar it was very much.

Wooden boards were worn from the elements, the bricks perfectly placed with a large window fogged from cigarette smoke. Overall, the exterior looked like it needed a good clean, the plants out front looking desperate for water. But what caught her attention the most was the large bronze sign hanging above it reading ‘Grillby’s’.

At first, Y/N had glanced at the building, turned away to find somewhere to sit down, then did an almost comical double take. Thank god not many people were around this part of time or she’d look insane.

It was Grillby’s. Fucking.  _ Grillby’s _ . The only original bar in the entirety of  **Looking Through Me** . That damn game that bragged about being about  _ bone _ ing skeletons! The pun riddled, mediocre at best video game she’d spent so much time on because she had issues. What was her luck?

You know what? No. She may be in a mediocre dating sim if the bar is to be believed but at least it could be worse. There are tons of games she played that she enjoyed more but would be so  _ much worse _ to be thrown into without any preparation. Like Dark Souls or Frostpunk.

Knowing her luck, it wouldn’t be hiring because knowing where she was was just too much of a good thing for Y/N to have without… what do you know, it is hiring. Well, maybe this day would go semi-decent. Wait, no, don’t jinx it.

Having just opened, it was only 10:12 if the clock is to be believed, there wasn’t really anyone in there. Just a few dogs in the farthest corner booth who looked to be playing poker and a bunny who already seemed to be drunk. Odd considering the bar opened at 10 am but hey, gotta start your day somehow.

At the bar was an unfamiliar bartender. Y/N knew that the bartender you meet in game was a fire elemental named Grillby. That’s about all she knew of the place. Really, the character only seemed to be in the game to make way for more pun.

The bartender had a humanoid for up to the hair, of which billowed almost like smoke. All the area of which you’d expect to see skin or hair was a moving galaxy beneath his skin. Blues and purples, oranges and yellows. Glittering stars swirling under his skin. A set of light blue glasses covering his eyes. Why the hell wasn’t he in the game? He’s gorgeous! Or maybe Y/N is just obsessed with stars… or both. It’s both.

Feeling incredibly awkward, Y/N had only really been in a bar once and it wasn’t a good experience, she made her way up. No one really paid her any mind. One of the larger dogs glanced her way but that was it. The bartender seemed to be busy polishing a glass.

“Uhm… excuse me?” Y/N tapped her finger nervously against the bar. The living galaxy looked up at her, setting the glass down and walking closer.

“Yes?” A soft, whispery voice left the man, “What would you like?” He asked with a smile. The space where he opened his mouth was a soft yellowish-white, like a star was glowing from within him. Seriously, why wasn’t this guy in the game?

“I saw your sign out front, are you still hiring?” If that sign was still out, they were probably still hiring Y/N! Stupid question really.

“Oh, yes. Are you interested?” At least his question seemed to be just as stupid, Y/N relaxed a bit.

“Yep. I’m Y/N, Y/N Wyles. A pleasure to meet you…?” Y/N held her hand out over the bar. The galaxy man seemed to study her for a bit. Then, with a soft chuckled, clasped her hand in his. Y/N resolutely ignored the mental ping that went through her head.

“Swirlby, lovely to meet you Y/N. Grillby is the one in charge of hiring. He’s in the back.” the living galaxy, Swirlby apparently, gestured to the ‘Fire exit’ door with one hand. Then let go of Y/N to return to his duties.

Y/N took back her hand, rubbing it from how much warmer Swirlby was than a human. Or maybe it was the whole raw feeling that made her think that. Who could tell really? Not Y/N.

‘I can’t go through there, I’m not made of fire.’ Y/N thought dully as she made her way to the door. It was an old, overused line said by just about every character who went to Grillby’s in the entire damn game, including the protagonist. By now, it was just a habit to think or say whenever she saw a fire exit.

Pressing on, Y/N found herself in what looked to be a kitchen. To her left was a hallway that probably led to a storage room or employee bathroom, maybe both. Another door that likely led to an office, and what looked to be stairs scrunched between the wall and the office in the back next to a door that led to the trash cans. Again, the majority of that was assumptions.

The only thing Y/N could see for certain was the kitchen and the familiar form of Grillby in the kitchen. Just like the rest of the bar, the kitchen looked like it could use a good scrub. Everything was obviously at the very least wiped down and the grill looked impeccable. Y/N figured that since basically everyone who worked there was made of fire --except Swirlby but who knows how water worked with him-- so they couldn’t exactly use water and bleach to deep clean. She was probably going to a janitor, wasn’t she?

“Excuse me? Swirlby told me to come back here for the job offering?” Y/N called out to Girllby from the door, letting it click closed behind her. 

Grillby turned to look at her, pretty much looking exactly like he did in game. A living fireball somehow wearing a suit and tie without it burning up, glasses placed squarely on his face. He also looked taller than her. Not by much but taller.

Y/N pretty much expected the silence that followed as Grillby seemed to observe her, another mental ping resounding in her head. The in-game version didn’t speak a lot either.

“I’m Y/N Wyles, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Y/N closed the distance between them, holding out her hand. At the very least, Grillby was an inch or two taller than her. 

Just like Swirlby, Grillby gave her that considering look like he was sizing her up. Just like Swirlby, Y/N didn’t break her gaze. Even if nerves were eating her up on the inside. She had way too much practice ignoring her nerves, even if the tingling sensation was uncomfortable.

Then, without saying anything, Grillby shook her hand. Y/N almost jerked back in shock from just how  _ warm _ he was. Warmer than Swirlby and much warmer than a human being. Then again, he  _ was _ made of fire.

Gesturing to follow, Grillby made his way towards what Y/N had assumed was an office. Magically, Y/N was correct and it was.

The little office seemed to be holding its breath. It didn’t seemed to have been dusted recently but there were spots that showed where books and such were moved around. Filing cabinets and shelving hugged the wall, each packed with god knows what. A large wooden desk with a monitor sat towards the back of the room. Just enough space to squeeze between it and the wall if you wanted to sit down. It didn’t have any drawers that would get impeded thankfully, but boxes of papers were packed beneath it.

Grillby fitzed around the office, grabbing a few sheets of paper and clipping them into a clipboard. He picked a pen up from a cup on the desk and handed both to Y/N. Then, he nodded and left, leaving Y/N to her own devices.

One the first piece of paper was a double sided questionnaire asking for information about herself like her name, age, birthday, phone number, and other stuff. The other papers contained questions she’d expect to be asked during a job interview. Guess if you don’t talk, you have to find other ways to communicate.

“Maybe I should’ve told him I know sign language?” Y/N hummed to herself, moving to lean against the desk as she filled out the questionnaire. A few things had to be bent to fit what Y/N knew about this world, but most of her information was true. Even if Y/N wasn’t entirely sure she had any paper presence in this world. Or, well, presence period.

Then came the interview questions. With skills of bullshitting honed since she was little, Y/N somehow managed to fill them out with more reasoning to why she wanted the job then ‘I’m homeless, poor, and in desperate need of a job so I don’t starve’. That probably still came through though. The best lies are based on truths and all that.

At the very least, Y/N hoped that her previous experience in Customer Service hell and Sign Language skill would be enough to pull through. It was basically all she had, other than the only half-way complete degree in finance she had in her own world that is. Y/N was pretty much 100% sure that didn’t count. 

Still, the fully filled out form didn’t feel very impressive. Would this really work? Should she just lie about some of her qualifications? No, she sucked at lying… She’d just have to convince him! Besides, any moron who can touch water can clean.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N knocked on the door, peaking back into the kitchen. “Sir, I finished.” If Grillby was startled by her voice, he didn’t show it. Then again, he had less of a face than Swirlby did so who knows what he’s thinking.

Y/N ducked back into the office to wait was Grilly finished off whatever he was doing. Fiddling with the clipboard, worrying it in her hands, Y/N tried to calm herself. She could convince Grillby she should have this job. She could do this.

Her bracelet had two new dots on it. One a reddish orange and the other a bluish violet color. She’d gotten them right after meeting Grillby and Swirlby respectively. Maybe it had something to do with that ‘REP’ thing the quest talked about?

No time to figure that out as Grillby enters the room. Y/N wordless hands him the clipboard, watching in tensed silence as he reads it. This is certainly unlike anything Y/N had expected from an interview. A lot more tense somehow. It probably had something to do with the silence.

Resisting the urge to squirm as Grillby periodically looks up at her from the clipboard, Y/N had to squash the urge to interrupt him and basically beg for the job. It was literally the only place she could find that was hiring. She needed this job.

Placing the clipboard on one of the shelves, Grillby signed ‘ _ Why should I consider you? _ ’ Huh, Y/N hadn’t put her sign language skills on the application, she never did. Usually she just forgot about… it… oh, this was a test, wasn’t it? After all, if she couldn’t understand her boss, how would she do her job?

“Well, sir,” Y/N signed along as she spoke, putting on her best smile, “I am a  _ very _ hard worker. I’m sure that given this job we will do  _ great _ things together.” Maybe she’d even be able to get a position above being a janitor. She was a decent cook and bartending didn’t look  _ that _ hard. Push come to shove, she could be a waiter… did that pay more? Y/N didn’t know.

Grillby stared at her for a moment longer, looked off to the side as if considering something. Then, with a mental  _ ping _ , turned back to her.

‘ _ Can you start tomorrow? _ ’ Resisting the urge to deflate in relief, or maybe squeal in excitement, Y/N nodded.

“I can even start tonight if you want!” She chirped with a smile. Grillby stared at her again, what was with him and staring?

_ ‘Tomorrow, 6am, clean before opening everyday, wednesdays off’ _ Grillby signed, gesturing for her to leave.  _ *Ping* *Ping* _ rang through her head.

Y/N kept her pace calm as she passed him. “I won’t disappoint, sir.” She called behind her as she left the office, then the kitchen. Standing in front of the fire exit, the restaurant was even emptier than before. Half of the poker dogs were gone and the bunny was either gone or slumped under a table.

Releasing a sigh, Y/N let the tension leave her body. Well, at least that was one thing down. Maybe now she could check out-

“Miss Wyles, how was it?” Swirlby hadn’t raised his voice at all to call out to her, maybe he couldn’t? Y/N could barely hear it. Taking a moment to process what was said, she smiled. Walking closer to Swirlby, Y/N replied.

“I got the job, I clean from 6am till opening, then for four hours after closing if needed.” Y/N recalled from the contract clipped under the resume. It was about 8 hours of work, so not really a lot but $12 an hour for $96 a day was still $96 more dollars than she was getting currently.

“Good, we’ve been unable to give this place a good clean since Poppet got her business up and going.” Swirlby smiled, or at least Y/N thought he did? It was really hard to tell since he didn't exactly have lips. Or maybe he did and she just couldn’t tell? His mouth was only distinguishable from it being like a white star.

“Let me guess, she was the only worker not made of fire?” Y/N asked, making to move away. Swirlby nodded his head mutely, watching her leave.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, have a nice day Swirlby!” She called behind her, leaving the bar. Rolling her shoulders, Y/N let out a huff. Damn, that felt much harder than it needed too. Maybe now she could find an alley, check out those pings without being bothered, and figure out how to use the  **Pause** feature. If she was going to be stuck as a video game character, she was going to at least know what she was doing.

Thankfully, Y/N had passed by many alleys, each one shadier than the last, while looking for someone hiring. Finding one again wasn’t nearly as difficult as finding Grillby’s. Even if it was disgusting, at least Y/N wouldn’t be bothered.

Walking into an alley, this one only having one entrance and leading to a brick wall smothered in graffiti, Y/N took another look at her bracelet. Like before, there were two dots from the people she’d met, but now there was another green dot and one goldish dot.

“Okay,” Y/N whispered to herself, sticking herself in the darkest corner of the alley, “How do you work?” Y/N shook her hand. Poking and prodding at the dots. Glaring at them like they might open.

‘Open sesame. Abra cadabra. I don’t know, open you damn  **_Notifications_ ** ’ Y/N shook her wrist, startling at the screen appeared at once. Well, that answered one question.

**-Notifications-**

**Quests - (1)**

**Skills - (1)**

**Character Sheet - (1)**

**Reputation - (2)**

Five notifications? Yeah, that matched up. Not to mention she was correct with the whole ‘reputation’ thing when it came to meeting Grillby and Swirlby. Damn, that was going to get confusing. Their names were so similar. Maybe she could just call Swirlby… Andy? Like the Andromeda galaxy? Galaxy would be easier but there was already a character named that. Yeah, Andy. Hopefully he’d like that.

‘Okay, assuming that this is going to be as literal as  **Notifications** . Let’s try…  **Pause** …  **Pause Game?** ’ The world stuttered to a halt around her. Y/N’s surrounding pixelating and flying into the sky, peeling away to reveal the  **Pause** room.

Y/N was now sitting on the bench in the pause room, the screens around her now lit up with information. The view directly in front of her looked like an equipment screen, just a view of herself with some slots holding the clothes she was wearing. Directly to the left of that was her inventory, to the right a view of her soul. Though the Soul screen was mostly just question marks.

Standing, Y/N spun around till she found the screens in question. Directly behind her was the reputation screen, featuring only two people with bright *NEW* text in front of their names. Directly to her right was the quest screen, the opposite containing her character sheet.

“Well, I guess we can start here.” Y/N muttered to herself, stepping over the bench rather than around it. The reputation screen was pretty interesting. It didn’t look how she imagined when playing the game. Usually the game just showed their name and love meter. If it weren’t for the hackers who discovered the secret variables, the majority of them would take her by surprise.

**-Reputation-**

**Name: Grillby**

**Universe: Undertale**

**HP: 800**

**Reputation: 5**

**Trust: -10**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 10**

**Sanity: 90**

**Height: 5’8**

**A quiet man of fire always willing to lend a proverbial ear. With a soft touch he can calm anyone despite being made of fire. Owns Grillby’s**

  
  


**Name: Swirlby**

**Universe: Outertale**

**HP: 750**

**Reputation: 10**

**Trust: -15**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 12**

**Sanity: 95**

**Height: 5’6**

**Also made of a fire-like substance in the way it curls in the air but seems to be made of stars. Often seems less like a bartender and more like an attraction that lures in customers and drunkards to spend money so they can stare at the pretty bartender. Bartender at Grillby’s but mostly just stands there cleaning cups.**

“That… is definitely accurate.” Y/N couldn’t help but giggle at Swirlby’s description. With the way Swirlby’s galaxy form, well,  _ swirled _ it was kind of hypnotizing. Or maybe that’s just the stargazer in her acting up.

Then again, there’s those ‘Danger Level’ and ‘Sanity’ settings again… but that couldn’t be very important, right? The game had never really featured them in any route, no one had known they existed till the game’s code was cracked open… but it wasn’t a game anymore, was it? No, this was her reality. Some of the characters could pose a serious threat to Y/N. Well, she’d just have to be able to defend herself.

First, there were other notifications to look at. Such as the quest she finished!

**-Quests-**

**[Labor for Hire]**

**When it comes down to it, survival is money. Get that job!**

**Objective: Get a job**

**Rewards:**

**A job ($12 an hour)**

**50 XP**

**REP with [Swirlby]**

**Bonus Objective: Make a good first impression**

**Rewards:**

**REP with [Grillby]**

**Accept Rewards:**

**[Yes] / [No]**

Obvious answer is obvious, Y/N accepted the rewards. The green lines around the screen brightened, shooting off around the room with a streak of lighter green before returning to its usual color.

“Okay, the other was on my skills and my character sheet… those should be…” Y/N muttered to herself, making her way to where she’d seen what looked like her stat block plus a few other things.

**-Character Sheet-**

**_*Level Up?*_ **

**Name: Y/N Wyles**

**Age: 23**

**HP: 50**

**MP: 55**

**Level: 1 (100 XP)**

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 8**

**END: 7**

**DEX: 8**

**AGI: 9**

**INT: 7**

**WIS: 9**

**CHA: 10**

**LUK: 7**

**Points: 10**

**-Perks -**

  
  


**-Skills (1)-**

“Perks?” Y/N questioned, she didn’t remember seeing that. “Later.” Y/N shook her head, that level up looked good though. She’d do that, look at her skills, and get out of here. There were other things she had to do. Like figure out where she was going to stay for the night.

**Level up!**

  * **1 Perk point (1 at level one) (+1 per five levels)**


  * 10 stat points


  * 5 skill points



“Hmm, neat.” Y/N shrugged. What were skill points? She didn’t know beyond points you could spend on skills. Stat points were self explanatory and she really wanted to look at those perks but at the same time she needed to finish up. Figuring out a place to stay for the night was more important than some points that weren’t going anywhere.

“Right, look at  **Skills** and get out of here.” Y/N muttered to herself over and over in an attempt to stay focused. Thankfully, there wasn’t really anything to look at when it came to skills. She only had two.

**-Skills-**

**Gamer's Body (Level MAX) - Passive- Your body heals while sleeping, all stats restored with a night's rest, not that you need to sleep.**

***NEW* Persuasion (Level 2) - Passive- People want to believe what you say, and follow as you order, you just need to give them a little push - Level of Skill + Charisma + 4 %**

“So the skill was the only reason I got that job?” Y/N felt kind of insulted. At the same time, she was thankful because she had really needed that job. It was an odd duality.

Backing up from the screens, Y/N took a deep breath. “Right, that’s all, time to go.” She said to herself. “ **Resume?** ” 

There was an odd feeling of falling. Her vision going black, then she could see again. Squinting her eyes against the light, damn that was going to need some time to get used to, Y/N found herself back in the same alley she paused in. What fun.

Now onto business, she needed to find someplace to stay the night. Preferable with a roof over her head, though she wasn’t feeling picky. Maybe there’d be a tree or bench in that park she could stay in? It wasn’t like she didn’t have time, it was only… what… 12:30?

Leaving the alley, Y/N began her search anew. This one was not nearly as focused, or as picky. Anything that cost money? Out of the question, she didn’t have any money yet. Preferably would have a roof in case it rained. She was not going to get smote from existence again. The cosmic joke that would be would just be too much.

Nothing really stood out to Y/N as she explored. Most places that she could sleep looked like they would have a lot of foot traffic on the weekends or even did have quite a bit of foot traffic now. Only the dirty alleyways looked like they would be out of the way. As much as Y/N was fine with anything, the grime in those alleys was questionable at best.

A ringing resounded in her head, halting Y/N because what the hell? What was that? Turns out, her phone was ringing in her inventory. Weird as hell to experience, would not recommend.

The caller ID was unfamiliar, who the hell was ‘Cherry’? Y/N hesitated. What if it was bad? But, really, the worst it could be would be a telemarketer or a scammer. It wasn’t like she had anything to lose. Not to mention… ‘Cherry’ sounded familiar for some reason.

With a shrug, Y/N picked up, “City morgue, you stab ‘em we slab ‘em. What can I do for ya?” She quipped because why the hell not?

A laugh came from the receiver, “Peachie! So glad to hear from you!” chirped the voice from the other end of the line.

“I’m glad to hear from me too, Cherry.” Y/N replied, still trying to figure out why the name ‘Cherry’ sounded familiar.

Another giggle, “Always a jokester Peachie. Hey! I heard you were in town, where are ya stayn’? We can meet up!” Cherry hummed, sounding excited.

“About that,” Y/N worried her lip, ‘Peachie’? “I… didn’t think that far ahead? Haha…” A strained laugh left her. It was true, yet also a lie. Can’t think ahead if you're dead and don’t have any money.

Cherry gasped, “You can stay with me!” She squealed. Y/N pulled the phone away from her ear in an attempt to save her eardrums.

“Meet me in the park, I’ll be there in 10 minutes! Oh this is going to be so exciting! Berry sisters away!” Cherry cheered, faint footsteps and the rustling of clothes just barely audible through the receiver.

“I thought peaches and cherries weren’t berries?” Y/N quipped, but Cherry had either hung up on accident or just hung up. Why had she said that? It was almost like the words were being pulled from her mouth. Like a habit… but not one Y/N remembered having.

Berry sisters? Cherry? Why was that term so familiar. It was on the tip of her tongue. But Y/N didn’t remember anyone from the game named Cherry. The only mention of ‘Berry Sister’ was… when was it?

Right! At the beginning of the game, when the ‘villainess’ --or whatever she was called, who cares she’s not important-- was introduced. The protagonist referred to her as her ‘berry sister’... but didn’t that mean…

Oh… oh no… oh god no… Y/N’s life really was just one cosmic joke, wasn’t it? Dying from lightning, getting tossed into a game without warning, being put in as the villainess. She should’ve known it was too good to be true. Now she’s going to  _ have _ to interact with the story line. Y/N didn’t even know the villainess’s full role in the story beyond ‘a childhood friend who’s actually just a bitch’. She always disappeared like three weeks in from mysterious circumstances.

Knowing Y/N’s luck, those mysterious circumstances were probably death. God, what does she do now? She really needed a place to stay. Going to meet up with Cherry would be so easy but at the same time the thought of looming death made Y/N want to skip…

Rolling back her shoulders, Y/N calmed herself. She was nothing like the villainess. If she just played nice, then she’d probably live, right? Right? Right. She could do this. She could. She just needed to believe in herself. Besides, it would be rude to stand Cherry up. They were supposed to be childhood friends.

With that in mind, Y/N made her way to the park, prepared for everything. Yet prepared for nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When meeting the skeletons, Reader should act...  
> A. Nice  
> B. Rude  
> C. Ignore them
> 
> Reader has a perk point! Should she...  
> A. Save it  
> B. Spend it on something to make magic easier  
> C. Spend one something to make physical activities easier
> 
> Faced with a challenge, Reader should be...  
> A. Dominant  
> B. Submissively  
> C. Refuse Challenge


	3. Skeletons in Your Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another close time for the reaction to our mystery challenge. It was a close tie between acting dominantly and refusing but refusing pulled through. I still tried to include that whole 'dominate' feel to the refusal, though I'm not so sure how that turned out. Keep voting! It really does matter.

Was Y/N prepared to meet Cherry? No, not really. Maybe she pretended to be but knowing that the girl she took the place of would mysteriously disappear three weeks from this meeting was certainly nerve-wracking. She didn’t really want to go. Necessity dictated that she should… and common decency.

Come on, Cherry sounded so excited to see her! Y/N couldn’t just not go… Well, she could but that would be rude! Y/N didn’t want to be rude. Especially not to Cherry. The thought made her soul pulse painfully in her chest.

The park was a nice calming place. Fresh green grass, flowers growing delicately from the ground, and trees perfect for climbing. Or at least, that’s what the game says about the park. In Y/N’s opinion, the climbable trees were the only true part.

Instead of fresh green grass, it looked artificial. Considering how bright the green was, it was probably true. How flowers grow ‘delicately’ Y/N didn’t know. They were just regular old daisies. A sea of yellow dandelions surrounded the large oaks, which was rather pretty. Dandelions were Y/N’s favorite flower, even if it was technically a weed. The butter-yellow ‘weed’ was still really pretty. Not to mention they were said to grant wishes. The best plant.

Cherry wasn’t yet at the park despite how much she seemed to be hurrying over the phone. So, rather than play on her phone or do nothing and wait, Y//N just couldn’t resist climbing a tree. They were literally designed to be perfect to climb. Who could resist?

One branch hung perfectly in reach so that you could do pull-ups on it. Y/N was never capable of doing a pull-up but she was capable of climbing a tree. Grabbing on to said branch, she braced a foot on the tree and, using her legs more than her arms, swung herself around to straddle the branch.

Carefully, Y/N stood, immediately grabbing onto the branch above her. Rinse and repeat until she couldn’t get any higher from how thin the branches were. Looking down, she immediately regretted her decision.

Sure, she did get another mental ping while climbing the tree but Y/N didn’t really know how she was going to get down. Was this what cats felt like when they climbed trees? Y/N thought it had to be. But at the very least cats had the ability to always land on their feet.

Oh well, that was a future Y/N problem, she decided. Current Y/N was going to enjoy being very tall on the tree. Maybe take a nap? No, she moved in her sleep. Falling from this distance would probably be painful. No, it would  _ definitely _ be painful.

Looking through the leaves to the sky, Y/N hummed to herself. How pretty the sky was today. Bright clear blue with soft white clouds. It looked much clearer than it was in her world. Probably because this was advertised as a ‘picture perfect’ world. Picture perfect wouldn’t have any smoke or pollution fucking up the sky. The stars would probably be clearer too, wouldn’t they?

“Peachie! Peachie? I’m here!” Y/N heard someone yell in the distance. Twisting in her tree, Y/N could just barely see a mop of dyed, bright red hair. The same bright red hair that inspired the nickname ‘Cherry’. 

God, now Y/N was going to have to figure out how she was going to get down, huh? Damn you past Y/N for getting present Y/N in this situation. Hopefully, future Y/N would make better decisions. Present Y/N wasn’t feeling very hopeful.

Twisting her legs onto one side, Y/N surveyed the area around her. She  _ could _ go back the way she came. But that would take a while and what if Cherry left? What would Y/N do then?

You know what? Y/N had a pretty straight shot to the ground if she jumped. No branches to get in her way. So maybe… but that would hurt… What if she did one of those rolls that she saw parkour people do on YouTube? They jumped from pretty high up and looked fine.

In her past life, Y/N knew she would’ve never been able to pull it off. But in this life? Her agility wasn’t high enough to dodge bullets — _ yet _ — but she just might be able to jump and  _ not _ die from the fall.

Ah, screw it. Before her nerves could get the best of her, Y/N jumped. The wind whipped past her as she quickly fell towards the ground. Pushing forward into a roll the moment her feet touched.

Now, did she pull the roll off? No, not exactly. The twinge in her ankle told her that easily. But she wasn’t dead, so that was a plus. Even if Y/N felt out of breath from the impact.

The sky really was pretty, Y/N mused from her position on her back. Did she regret jumping? Maybe. How much HP did she lose from that fall anyway? Hmm,  **Character Sheet** .

**The Gamer**

**Name: Y/N Wyles**

**Age: 23**

**HP: 45/60**

**MP: 55/65**

**Level: 1 (100 XP)**

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 8**

**END: 7**

**DEX: 8**

**AGI: 9**

**INT: 7**

**WIS: 9**

**CHA: 10**

**LUK: 7**

**Points: 10**

Wait, wasn’t her HP 50? Meh, it probably raised with the level up. That’s how it usually worked with RPGs. So if her math was correct, she lost… 5 hp? That mainly considering her MP hadn’t risen to match her new limit. So that meant her HP and MP wouldn’t fill with each level up… dammit.

Well, there goes the plan to train herself half to death till she leveled up and kept going. Now she’d have to train half to death and probably take a small nap or something. That’s how  **Gamer’s Body** worked, right?

Do you know what sounds great right now? A nap… wait no Y/N had to meet up with Cherry. Alright Y/N, get up. You got this. Just gotta stand up and get over there. Not that hard. Just gotta get up. Come on, move. You got this Y/N…

This wasn’t working. It made no sense. Just get up already Y/N, she berated herself. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to move. A lot had happened in the past… 12 hours maybe? Who knows how time works in the  **Pause** room or void. That was her estimate.

“Did… did you just fall out of that tree?” A voice piped up, sounding giggly. Oh no, please tell her that Cherry did  _ not _ just see that. She did, didn’t she?

“...No…?” Y/N muttered in reply, “I may or may not have jumped off.” Y/N opened a single eye, when had she closed them? God, she was tired. Mentally, not physically. Physically speaking she probably had the energy to run a marathon.. or not. Probably an over-exaggeration by, well, a  _ lot _ .

Cherry seemed to hold back a snort. “Didn’t think that one through, did ya?” She teased. Y/N withheld a sigh, twisting onto her stomach to look at Cherry moodily.

“Do I ever?” Y/N quipped back, sending Cherry off giggling again. She had that light, bell-like laugh that every stereotypical pretty girl protagonist had. It was kinda pretty, maybe. How do you judge how attractive a laugh even is? Y/N had no idea.

Out of all the characters who showed up in the game, Cherry’s design was by far Y/N’s favorite. Instead of a brown-haired girl with ‘special’ eyes or a blonde haired blue eyes pretty girl or even a pink hair magical girl, Cherry actually looked semi-decent. Even if her entire design was just a humanoid cherry.

Dyed bright red hair framed a fair-skinned face with rosy cheeks and comically large green eyes. According to the game, Cherry was originally a blonde so there was that. She also had a perfect body, naturally, with large breasts, and regularly wore clothes that showed more skin than she really had to. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the villainess, who wore clothes that might as well be bathing suits, but it was still obviously fan service.

All in all, too sexual for Y/N’s tastes yet still a lot more creative than what most of the game had to offer. Now if Andy —Swirlby— actually showed up in-game, he’d be everyone’s favorite because who wouldn’t love a character design that was a living galaxy? No one sane, that’s who. But he wasn’t. Even if he should be.

“I mean,,,” Cherry’s speech was regularly interrupted as she giggled, “You’re not  _ wrong _ .” 

Oh! Ouch, how mean. Y/N couldn’t help but smile. Damn, her bubbliness was as contagious in real life as it was said to be in-game. Even if when playing the game it seemed more annoying than anything else.

“My flaws aside, you wanted to talk to me?” Y/N already had a pretty good idea what Cherry was going to say. Mainly because Cherry already told Y/N that they were going to live together. 

“Mhm! You’re going to come to stay and my place!” Cherry chirped, striking a pose as she pointed at Y/N.

Y/N slowly pulled herself to stand. What she was understanding was that she didn’t have a choice as to whether or not she was going to stay with Cherry. Y/N was going to stay with Cherry whether she liked it or not. Not the worst of situations to be in. Still not the best.

“Lead the way I guess. Anything I should know?” Y/N asked as Cherry grabbed her hand and started pulling her along. Stumbling, Y/N was quick to follow. Despite Y/N’s long stride, Cherry’s quick walk made it difficult to keep up with her.

“Hmmm, well I have a  _ few _ roommates. Some of them can be a teeny tiny bit temperamental too. So keep an eye out for them! You shouldn’t have any issue though!” Cherry chattered, pulling Y/N along. 

It was always a frustrating point of the game. Despite the amount of choice the player had, one of the main points of Cherry’s character was her overwhelming trust in the villainess. Even though said villainess was often a bitch, Cherry treated her practically like a queen. In real life though? It was kind of endearing. Y/N couldn’t help but smile.

Though calling some of Cherry’s roommates ‘temperamental’ was a bit of an understatement. The fandom around the game was 90% certain that one character was a part of the mob, and another character literally had a gimmick where they threw a damn table across the room in a rage. It was funny to watch but probably terrifying if Y/N was actually there.

Cherry continued chattering as they walked, never really giving Y/N a chance to get a word in. She just continued chugging on. Topics went from things her roommates did to what she had for dinner last night to the weather. Cherry didn’t seem to even be expecting a response. It was… oddly nice?

Just something about how close Cherry felt to Y/N despite Y/N not being who Chery thought she was was both nice and kind of sad. Like, the girl Y/N replaced was an absolute bitch but it kind of felt like lying to Cherry? Meh, Y/N would just be a better friend. Cherry wouldn’t have to know.

Quite a few twists and turns through the streets were made, Y/N wasn’t entirely sure she would be able to find Grillby’s. At the very least, the park was pretty central. Push come to shove, she could find the park and  _ then _ go to Grillby’s.

Eventually, they came to a large house. It was quite unlike Grillby’s. While Grillby’s was squished between other shops and relatively small, like the bar was holding its breath, Cherry’s house was quite the opposite.

From what Y/N read on forums, the house was often referred to as ‘The Bone Zone’. A large square house with simple square windows and bushes lining the house. It’s layout never quite made sense while playing the game. Mainly with it having a large, elegant garden with dramatic oaks and beautiful flowers… yet also was surrounded on all sides by other houses. It didn’t make much sense with how small the area between the houses was. Magic probably had something to do with it.

“Home sweet home!” Cherry bounded up the steps, turning at the top of them with her arms spread out, “You’re going to love it here!”

Y/N doubted that a little. “Sure hope so.” She smiled, it felt strained. Knowing some of the characters in the house, she seriously doubted that they'd get along, much less be friends. 

Walking up the stairs, Y/N tried not to shoulder Cherry off of the small deck on the front of the building. It was quite an effort seeing as how the landing barely fit one person, let alone two. 

Finicking with the door, both participants nearly fell. Thankfully, the door opened and Y/N could walk in...to a person. Well, a skeleton specifically… because of course she did.

“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING YOU… HUMAN!” The skeleton jumped back, Y/N stumbled back into Cherry which, in a domino effect, caused both of them to tumble back and off their precarious perch.

Landing with a thud, Y/N groaned, pulling herself off her excitable...friend (?} whom she landed on. Looking towards the skeleton who pushed her, well who bumped into but who’s counting, angrily… that anger quickly faded as she realized just who it was.

The exact name of the character escaped her, they all looked basically the same so who cares, but she did know this was one of the angry hot topic ones. It was a shorter skeleton dressed in black and red almost-armor. Really he was a… a security guard if Y/N was remembering correctly, but he had large shoulder pads and heels to make him look bigger. It didn’t work well in real life and just as stupid as in the game. Still, the add ons made it look almost like armor.

There scars were slashed over his right eye, really the only difference between him and the other skeleton who had a single scar over his left eye. Thankfully, there was a mental ping when Y/N touched him so she could just go read his character sheet later-

“WHO DID YOU BRING INTO THIS HOUSE WITHOUT THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE RAZZBERRY’S PERMISSION?!” The skeleton, Razz apparently, screamed. Or maybe he was just naturally loud? Y/N had a few cousins like that. Only two settings on them, loud and louder.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. Just got into town this morning. Nice to meet you… um… great and terrible Razzberry.” Y/N replied despite not having been spoken to. Might as well be nice if nothing else.

Giving a hand to Cherry to help her up, Y/N completely missed the look of awe Cherry gave her hand. Just the idea of Peachie being nice of her was so foreign. 

“I DON’T CARE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE  _ HUMAN _ ” Razz spat in reply, tapping his foot impatiently. Before Y/N c0uld even reply, he thundered on.

“YOU ARE NOT EVEN WORTHY OF MY CARE, OUT OF MY WAY HUMAN,” Razz growled, stomping past the two of them towards the garage. Of which the fact they had one in this neighborhood was impressive enough. How they had a car per person —if the game was to be believed that is— and fit all of them in there, Y/N didn’t know. Then again, she didn’t know a lot of things.

“Yeah,” Cherry said as the two of them watched Razz stomp the ground impatiently as he waited for the garage door to open, “That’s Razz. He’s not  _ that _ bad but he’s running late.”

“For work, I’d imagine?” Y/N started walking to the door again, leaving Cherry to trail after her. 

“Yeah, he’s a security guard at that Avon Inc. place. You know the one.” Cherry brushed past Y/N as she surveyed the room.

Avon Inc… yeah Y/N could recall that name. It was mentioned so many damn times in the game, it was literally the only conversation topic that did not directly involve Cherry. What Avon Inc. did Y/N didn’t know. Nor did anyone else really.

“I know…” Y/N trailed off. The main area of the house was a large fancy sitting room, there was a large TV room somewhere in the building but where that was she didn’t know. There was also a gym somewhere, frequented by a few of the characters. Its exact position was also unknown. To the right was a large staircase leading up to a balcony of which two doors were visible. To the left, an arch that led to a dining room, and a hallway directly in front of Y/N held a door to one of the kitchens. Yes, one of, there were two. The big kitchen and one called a… a mess kitchen.

“Um, so where’s everyone else?” It was oddly empty. In the game, you couldn’t go five feet without running into someone. A lot of things were different in real life though. It made sense that this was different too.

“Probably in the kitchen making dinner, wanna see? I can introduce you!” Cherry chirped. Oh right, the kitchen scene. If Y/N was remembering right, that was when the girl she replaced was introduced to most of the characters. She could just say no, find her room, and take that nap she wanted so much… but saying no would be rude, wouldn’t it?

“Sure…” Y/N agreed reluctantly, following after Cherry as she skipped down the hall. Every bone in her body was screaming at her to run and take that nap. Why? She didn’t really know. The worst these skeletons had was some anger issues. They couldn’t be  _ that _ bad.

Well, they were also just really damn loud, Y/N amended. Her eardrums weren’t quite ringing from just how loud they were but it was certainly a close thing. It was a miracle they couldn’t be heard clearly from the entrance.

“LASAGNA IS OBVIOUSLY THE SUPERIOR CHOICE.” A large sharp skeleton demanded.

“BUT FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI WOULD BE MORE INVITING TO THE NEW HUMAN!” How did a skeleton wear high waisted shorts? They didn’t really have hips.

“WE COULD MAKE SPAGHETTI TACOS!!” Squealed a friend-shaped smaller skeleton. 

The three skeletons were practically yelling at each other across the island straight in the middle of the kitchen. In the very back, Y/N could just spot a small figure in a blue hoodie looking to be somehow asleep despite the noise. All in all, a very nice and large kitchen but damn did were they hurting her ears with how loud they were.

“I like chicken alfredo if it means anything.” Y/N piped up. She could barely hear herself over all their noise. So when three skulls snapped to look at her she was surprised. They must have really good hearing despite having no ears. Again, it was most likely magic.

Of the three skeletons, it was the tallest of them that seemed to like her the least. Dressed like hot topic was the only store he shopped at, the skeleton looked her up and down, seemed to find her inadequate, and looked to the side in a huff.

“WOWIE! YOU MUST BE THE NEW HUMAN RAZZ SPOKE OF!” The spaghetti skeleton spoke. Though his timeline of events didn’t really make sense the more Y/N thought of it.

According to the spaghetti skeleton, they had heard Razz yell about her, gotten to the kitchen, and started arguing about what they should make without being seen. Y/N couldn’t hear them from the entrance so the fact along they heard her was a tad odd. Maybe monsters had better senses? How did that even work without having ears or eyes or noses? Really, Y/N should probably stop questioning it.

“Everyone! This is Y/N. She’s my berry sister!” Cherry chirped, gesturing to Y/N dramatically. It really was cute how excited she seemed to be over Y/N being there, even if the original Peachie was a bitch.

Speaking of, Cherry had obviously talked about Peachie before. The skeletons had also obviously drawn the same conclusions that everyone else playing the game did. Mainly, Peachie was a self-entitled, egotistical, emotionally manipulative bitch. Which, to be fair, the original Peachie was. As a result, Y/N had to deal with the consequences.

The energy of the room screeched to a halt, the three loud skeletons stopping almost dramatically. Maybe it was just Y/N, but it felt like she had just been plunged into a pool of ice water. A shiver crawled its way up her spine. The weight of sins not her own weighing down her shoulders. What. The. Hell?

“Peachie, these are a few of my roommates! The tall edgy one is Edge, the one in a crop top is Papyrus and the small cute one is Blueberry!” Cherry swung back and forth on her feet. According to the script, this was the point where Y/N was supposed to not-so-subtly insult the skeletons. However, Y/N had one thing Peachie didn’t. Common sense… and a will to live… and those pings she really wished she could ignore… so more like three things.

Instead, Y/N forced a smile onto her face, making it as honest as she could. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Y/N Wyles… though you probably know that. Uhm, I’m sure dinner is going to be delicious with you all working on it.” Y/N forced a cheerful tone into her voice.

“OH, DO YOU WANT TO HELP? WE CAN MAKE IT ALMOST LIKE A COOKING COMPETITION. IT’S THE BEST WAY TO  _ GET TO KNOW _ SOMEONE.” Despite how happy and normal Blue’s tone of voice was. Y/N had a feeling there was something a bit more to his question than was actually being said.

“Well, I’m a pretty good cook… but I don’t know…” Y/N trailed off, Cherry seemed to fade into the background. The unmistakable feeling of being watched sending goosebumps over her skin.

“PLEASE, NONE OF YOU COULD POSSIBLE COMPARE TO THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE’S COOKING, HOW COULD THIS HUMAN?” Okay, so, one: that was extremely rude. Two: how the everloving hell does a skeleton manage to roll their eyes?

Even playing the game, Y/N was extremely confused about how exactly skeleton biology worked. It was definitely one of the things that was worse in real life. Like, their bones bent and moved when they talked like it was muscle and skin yet their bodies were surprisingly accurate skeletons? Y/N was 1000% sure Papyrus’s crop top was hanging off of absolutely nothing or was just obscenely short because she could man near see his bottom rib.

What was she saying? Right, she should probably reply to hot topic over there. If Y/N recalled right, he had anger issues or a napoleon complex at the very least. Then again, a lot of them seemed to have either or. What fun.

“Oh no, it’s not that. I just don’t feel the need to prove myself to you.” Well, didn’t that come out more haughty than intended? Well, fuck, abort the mission. If looks could kill, she’d be dead.

“Which one’s my room Cherry? I’m exhausted from the trip here.” Y/N turned to her friend, who seemed happy her friends were… ah… ‘getting along’. Which wasn’t true at all but Y/N wasn’t about to burst her bubble.

“Oh, right! Right this way~” Cherry skipped out of the kitchen, giggling as Y/N gave a not-at-all-exaggerated yawn and followed after. Turning her back to the skeletons was by far the most nerve-wracking thing she’d done since appearing in this world. Y/N was half convinced Hot Topic was going to stab her for her sass.

Venturing up the stairs, the second floor was mainly just a long hallway containing about six decent sized bedrooms and Cherry’s massive master bedroom at the very end. If Y/N was remembering right, damn INT really was getting a workout today, then the Hot Topic duo, Crop Top McGee and Blue hoodie, and Friend Shaped + Smoke boy stayed on this floor. The twin small angry ones with their probably masochistic brothers lived on the ground level. Then there was the creepy basement where who-the-fuck-knows stays. Which left… actually Y/N didn’t know, where was she sleeping?

“Sorry, but the attic is the only place we really have. Hehe! It’s just a bit dusty, I’m sure you’ll be fine!... You’re not afraid of spiders still, right?” Cherry spoke, looking a tad awkward.

“It’s fine, I’m over that.” Not to mention Y/N had never been scared of spiders. Peachie was, but that was another place they diverged. Though this difference probably wasn’t going to get her any brownie points with anyone. Cherry looked relieved though.

Turns out, the attic was only accessible through a ladder that led up to a hatch in the roof in the back of Cherry’s walk-in closet. It took a bit of moving around things to get a path to said ladder. Cherry, apparently, wasn’t very neat with her things. Y/N certainly wasn’t neat either, or at all, so it wasn’t like she could judge.

True to form, the attic was dusty as hell. It was obvious to anyone who could breathe that no one had been up here in absolutely ages. Thankfully, it was finished, as in Y/N wasn’t in danger of stepping on any nails, but that’s about all you could say about it.

A large circle window was the only form of light for the room other than a sad, single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. A ceiling of which probably kept all of the skeleton’s above six feet from even attempting to enter. A twin bed with checkered sheets, several mismatched blankets, and some pillows that were in less-than-pristine quality lay on the bed. Most of the attic was filled with old granny-themed furniture. Chairs, couches, a footstool, and a few antique-looking cabinets took up most of the floor space.

Boxes were packed seemi-neatly on the opposite side of the attic from the bed. They were filled with god-knows-what but damn Y/N actually really wanted to find out. From what she could see, there were quite a few books just stacked haphazardly onto whatever surface they fit. Even some porcelain bobbles were stuck between the blankets on the bed. Maybe some of them could be skill books? If not, Y/N could probably find a good read.

In Y/N’s personal opinion, the attic was stuffy, dusty as all hell, needed a deep clean and organization party, but had a lot of potential to actually be something nice if she put her back into it. It wasn’t the best place to stay, hell it was barely decent with all the dust and slight smoke smell that drifted from the floors below, but it was better than the streets. It would do.

“I’m gonna leave you here! Take a nap and I’ll get you when dinner’s ready?” Cherry phrased it like a question but certainly didn’t wait for a response before she dipped out.

Landing on the bed with a thud, Y/N quickly fell into a coughing fit as dust flew up. Yeah, a deep clean of the room was definitely on the to-do list. Speaking of, now that she was no longer in danger of sleeping on the streets, she should probably check out that perk point thing.

**Paused** , the room fizzled into place around her, leaving her laying on the bench like she’d been doing on the bed. The taste of stale air and dust replaced by metal and something completely indecipherable. Like a mystery flavored airhead.

Most of the room hadn’t really changed though there were some new entries on the  **Reputation** menu.

**Name: Papyrus Serif**

**Universe: UnderTale Papyrus**

**HP: 480**

**Reputation: -50**

**Trust: -50**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 20**

**Sanity: 85**

**Height: 6' 2**

**A hyperactive, excitable skeleton. Does he even sleep? Probably not. The exact opposite of his brother in every way. Does that make Papyrus a dog? Probably not, he's a skeleton! Dogs are their mortal enemies... probably. A puzzle maker for Avon Inc.**

**Name: Blueberry Tiparo**

**Universe: Underswap**

**HP: 300**

**Reputation: -35**

**Trust: -20**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 50**

**Sanity: 65**

**Height: 5’ 8**

**A sweet, hyperactive skeleton who Reputations sweets but isn’t allowed them. A sugar rush from him is your worst nightmare. Well, second worst nightmare. There’s always something worse. Works Cafeteria at Avon Inc. and helps security when need be.**

**Name: Edge Pismo**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 600**

**Reputation: -55**

**Trust: -80**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 55**

**Height: 6’ 5”**

**Tall and angry, snaps at everything, and has an inflated sense of self. Really he worries too much, always wanting his loved ones to be safe, even if he shows his Reputation questionably. Hates not having something to do. Security at Avon Inc.**

Damn, were all the skeletons taller than her? At least Edge wouldn’t be able to bother her in her room. His shoulders would probably bump the ceiling. Thank god for being semi-short. No longer does Y/N regret not making herself a giant in character creation.

What was she doing again? Right, Perks. What the hell even is a perk?

**[System] -**

**Perk: causes a permanent change when applied, can be bought with Perk Points though most are locked until a higher level or certain conditions are met**

Riiiight, the game could read Y/N’s mind. Almost forgot about that tidbit… maybe she should raise her intelligence… Nah, she could probably do that by reading some of those books in the attic. Or maybe find a library? Something like that.

Getting off-topic again, Y/N really needed to focus more. She turned to the blank perk section of her character sheet. Absolutely nothing happened when she just thought about it. Several literal phrases didn’t open it. Eventually, Y/N just poked the damn section and prayed that would work.

Lo and behold, it did. A long, and by long Y/N means  _ long _ , list of perks stretched on and on. The screen was incapable of holding all of them, leaving the first scroll wheel Y/N had encountered in-game to help navigate them all. Hell, there was even a search bar at the top and a ‘sort by’ section! 

Sorting by ‘available’, because Y/N wasn’t going to scroll through a sea of cool perks she couldn’t even get yet, there were admittedly very few she could get at first level with such low stats.

**-Perks- Sort By: Available - Points: 1**

**Everybody Loves Me - Access to [Public Relations] Skill Tree, +10% CHA gain [1]**

**Cry Cry Cry - Access to [Acting] Skill Tree, +10% CHA gain [1]**

**Breathe In, Breathe Out - Access to [Gymnast] Skill Tree, 10% AGI gain [1]**

**May the Force Be with You - Access to [Mana] Skill Tree, +5% WIS, CHA Gain [1]**

**Hard Work Pays Off - Access to [Everyday] Skill Tree, +2 END [1]**

**Back to Basics - Access to [Mathematics] Skill Tree, +2 INT [1]**

**Cause and Effect - Access to [Scientist] Skill Tree, +2 INT [1]**

**History Buff - Access to [Historian] Skill Tree, +2 WIS [1]**

**In The Words Of - Access to [Writing] Skill Tree, +2 DEX [1]**

**Strumming Chords - Access to [Musician] Skill Tree, +2 CHA [1]**

Well, at least Y/N knew what perks were now… Damn, that was a lot of options. How could she choose? Really, Y/N didn’t think she could. Maybe it was better to leave it and mull over it until a later date. It wasn’t like they were just going to go away, right?

Yeah, Y/N was going to do that. As much as that mana skill tree was calling out to her, because it was  _ magic _ , there were a lot of other things to consider too. Like what exactly each skill tree did. The Everyday skill tree sounded mundane but wouldn’t her job employ ‘everyday’ skills. Like cleaning and cooking. Gymnast would definitely help with defending herself simply because it made her stronger.

The whole Math and science ones were helpful in their own way too, they made her smarter. Lord knows Y/N could do with better memory. Acting would be dead useful too. Public Relations would do wonders for getting these skeletons to actually like her and…

Hey! See, this was what she meant. It was impossible to choose. Really, she should probably just save it until either a) she had enough for something really good, or b) she could come to a decision. Whichever came first.

With a huff, Y/N moved back to the position she’d been laying in before on the bench, resuming the game. Cold metal fell away to nice, soft, warm blankets. Colors danced over her eyes as glowing green turned to the warm yellows and oranges of sunlight.

It was weird. Physically speaking, Y/N didn’t feel tired. Then again, game characters didn’t need to sleep. But mentally? Mentally speaking, Y/N was still very much exhausted. It made her curious if higher mental stats would negate that… but no, sleep was calling her.

Smoke and dust filled the air, the warmth of sunlight bathing her skin. So, so much had happened in such a short period of time. Within seconds, the world fell away. For the first time in what felt like forever, Y/N slept.

If only the rest of her stay would be as peaceful as now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Present with a horrible mean, Reader should...  
> A) Refuse it (- REP with Blueberry, - REP with ???)  
> B) Choke it down ( ? REP with Blueberry, ? REP with ???)   
> C) Make an excuse and leave ( REP with ???, Possible Encounter)
> 
> After her shift, Reader should explore...  
> A) The Ground Floor (New Locations)  
> B) The Basement (New Character)  
> C) The Garden (New Character)
> 
> Returning to her room, Reader clean up...  
> A) The Furniture (+STR, +END)  
> B) The Boxes (+INT, Chance to find a Mystery Item)  
> C) The Antique Cabinets (Chance to find @*$)@#)


	4. A Series of... Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good job everyone who voted! Good decisions made all around! Well, they're good in my opinion. I find them good because they were fun to write but... well you might have a different opinion. 'Good' does tend to be subjective after all.
> 
> Keep going voting! Everyone counts!

_ Tap tap tap _

…

_ TAP TAP TAP _

. . .?

_ KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK _

Jolting upright with a gasp, it took a minute for Y/N to realize where she was. The unfamiliar room filled with unfamiliar things she didn’t own… then she remembered. Remembered the thunder, the lightning, the game mechanics, and the fucker who put her there. Remembered the skeletons and the sins _she_ had to atone for despite not having seeded the hate. The _unfairness of it all_.

A growl filled the air, a flush coming to her cheeks. Y/N also remembered she hadn’t eaten it… Well at least a day surely. Though it wasn’t likely her time spent dead counted, Y/N was still hungry damn it!

_ BAM BAM BAM _

“I’M UP!” Y/N called to whoever, probably Cherry actually, was banging at the hatch. How she managed to get  _ that _ much force Y/N didn’t know. Was Cherry super strong and just hadn’t told anyone? Y/N certainly couldn’t punch upward with enough force to make that loud of a sound without hurting herself.

“Dinner time!” A voice replied down below. Sure enough, it was Cherry’s voice. If not Cherry, then a voice that sounds a hell of a lot like Cherry’s. So, safe to say, it was probably Cherry.

“C-coming!” A yawn forced its way from her mouth as Y/N yelled back. Stretching, and feeling her spine pop, Y/N made her way to the hatch. It blended into the floor and would’ve been nigh-invisible if not for the handle and hinges. 

Bending to reach the handle, Y/N felt her knees crack. Seriously? How tightly wound was this body? She needed to stretch before bed or something. Either that or start counting how many pops she got a day. No, she’d start stretching. It would probably raise her agility too, maybe, worth a shot.

Cherry had already left the closet by the time Y/N climbed down. Admittedly, dinner excited Y/N. The food in game always looked delicious, and the narration bubble said the same. It made her extremely curious how it would taste. With any luck, she wouldn’t eat any plastic fruit. Yes, that has happened before. No, you may not judge her. No, she is not taking any questions.

The dining room was a large room, fitting for how many people lived in the house but not fitting how small the room looked on the outside. A large dark wood table easily fit twenty people. A lemon yellow table runner going down the middle. A soft, similarly colored carpet was just under the table. Horrible design choice in Y/N’s opinion. Why would you want a carpet around where you eat? If you drop something it won’t be easy to clean.

Despite there being enough room for twenty people, only about half of those spaces were filled. Cherry was sitting at the head of the table, on her left were blue-hoodie and Papyrus. Then there was an empty space between them and the hot-topic brothers. Opposite of Paps and blue-hoodie was Smokey the Skeleton and Blueberry. Across from the hot-topic brothers were Razzberry and his brother, then the two who looked almost exactly like them sitting a space over. That left half the table completely empty.

Covering the table top was a beautiful dinner. Apparently, they’d come to the conclusion that they would go with Lasagna, and garlic bread. The smell was heavenly, making her mouth water with anticipation. Part of her wished she could sit next to the only person in the room who actually liked her. The rest wanted to sit as far way from the skeletons as possible because if looks could kill, she’d be dead a hundred times over.

“HUMAN!” Blue broke the, frankly chilling, silence with his cheery tone of voice, “I MADE SOMETHING FOR YOU!” 

It took all Y/N had to not let that soft ‘awww’ in her mind leave. He just looked so excited and adorable if you ignored the fact he glaring at her with such force Y/N could practically feel the stab wound. Yeah, she’d definitely be sitting  _ away _ from the others. 

Slipping into the furthest chair at the very end of the table, Y/N watched Blueberry stand up and run for the kitchen. She sat in silence, watching as a tentative conversation started up with the others. They kept themselves purposefully quiet so Y/N couldn’t eavesdrop even if she wanted too. The only person who she could hear was Razzberry grumbling to himself, probably insulting her if that trend was holding strong. Not-Razzberry kept shooting her glances, not-quite glares as his brother chatted softly enough so that Y/N could tell he was happy about something, just not what.

Finally, Blueberry came back into the room holding…  _ something _ . Y/N wasn’t 100% sure what he placed in front of her but it almost looked like a taco. It completely contrasted the beautiful dinner everyone else was eating.

“HERE HUMAN! I Hope You Like It!” At that, Blueberry skipped back to his seat. While everyone else was eating, Y/N had expected them to start ignoring her. But no, that would be too good for her. If anything, the attention seemed even sharper on her. Why? Who knows, not Y/N.

Looking down, Y/N’s stomach turned as she looked at the… ‘food’ in front of her. The only slightly edible part looked to be the taco shell. Even then, the outside looked incredibly burned and hard despite it seeming to soak in a lake of grease from the taco meat. There was some questionable lettuce and cheese that looked like play dough. The sparkles were definitely the cherry on top. So much glitter, mostly green, piled on top like a cursed garnish. She really  _ really _ didn’t want to eat it… but…

Ah screw it. It may look horrid but Blueberry actually took time out of his day to make something for her. Y/N might as well try it… maybe it tasted better than it looked?... Yeah, no, Y/N wasn’t very hopeful of that either.

**_-2 HP_ **

  
  


_ Crunch _

Oh shit, oh fuck. You know what? Y/N was right for once. It did taste exactly how it looked… yet it was So. Much. Worse. The taste was indescribable. The texture, however, certainly was.

It was like chewing glass with the way it crunch. The way it seemed to get stuck on her teeth and scrape down her throat like swallowing sand. Yet, despite being so dry, it was also as soaking wet as the lake of grease implied. The combination of the meat and cheese having a similar texture to swallowing bread soaked in congealed grease that was left out too long. The glitter, while definitely not edible, was definitely contributing to the sand factor if nothing else.

Y/N’s gag reflex revolted, her eyes watering as she damn near threw the thing back up. It was by pure willpower alone that she managed to swallow that bite. A cough leaving her as she desperately swallowed water trying to get that not-quite-sand feeling off of her teeth.

A snort reached her ears from down the table. Y/N really couldn’t bring herself to care because she felt like she was  _ dying _ . Damn, Peachie was a bitch but Y/N felt bad for her having to eat that… except the original Peachie didn’t fucking eat it, she insulted it. God damnit, Y/N didn’t have to eat that demonic taco did she?

“Did You Like It?” Blue asked from down the table, waiting impatiently for her response. No, nope, she did not, she would rather die again than take another bite, it was absolutely horrible, how do you even make taco  _ that  _ **_bad_ ** .

“I think you should give me some cooking lessons sometime.” Y/N gave her the most convincing smile. Maybe some lessons meant she could help make sure nothing like  _ that _ would ever happen again. 

“I think I’m going to go to sleep. Thank you for dinner but I really am tired.” No she wasn’t. But there was no way on god’s green earth that she was going to eat another bite of that thing.

“Okay, have a good night!” Cherry was the only one who bothered to acknowledge her leaving. Or at least to openly do so. Y/N had no doubts that the others were watching her to make sure she didn’t do something. What did they expect her to do? Y/N… didn’t really know.

So Y/N just went to her room, plopped on the bed, and didn’t even get changed or under the sheets before she fell asleep. 

An alarm blaring loudly in her head woke her the next day. Jolting from the unexpected sound, Y/N yelped as she tumbled out of the bed and to the floor with a thud. Groaning, Y/N checked the time.

5:30. It was five fucking thirty, half past five, whatever you want to call it. Why was she awake? What was that alarm for?... Oh, right… Y/N had a job, her shift started in… half an hour?!

Quickly standing, Y/N pulled out her other set of clothes from her inventory, hoping they would be even slightly more professional than the ones she was wearing. Depending on your definition of professional, they might be. Y/N didn’t really have the time or energy to be picky.

A wine red shoulder less top with long sleeves and a V-neck that was a tad too deep for Y/N’s liking and a black pencil skirt. So, yes, professional. But, she was a janitor. Did she have to wear this? Shouldn’t she just wear something she could get messy in? But what if there was a uniform? Andy and Grillby were both wearing suits. Oh to hell with it, she didn’t have time for this.

Tossing on the outfit, Y/N decided to skip breakfast. Who knows how long it was going to take her to find Grillby’s from the house. The walk to the park took ten minutes as is. Hurrying as fast as she could without looking stupid or falling, Y/N made her way down the stairs and out the house. Keeping a brisk pace, Y/N checked the time again. 20 minutes, she could make it in twenty minutes.

**-=-=-=-**

Honey hadn’t really expected anyone to be up. Quite a few of them had night shifts, some only having got home four or five hours ago. Hell, even Blueberry only got up at 6:30 on the dot, 7 if he was feeling lazy. The only reason Honey was up was a… less than pleasant nightmare that left him hankering for a smoke.

So, safe to say, he hadn’t expected to see that ‘Peachie’ girl up either. By the way Cherry Blossom had described her, Honey hadn’t expected to see her at all. Let alone as… dressed up as she was.

The fact that anyone was up with him was weird enough, but where had Peachie...fuck it, he was calling her Y/N, Peachie was a cute nickname that she didn’t deserve… gotten those clothes? She sure as hell didn’t have them when she got here… which he knows for totally-not-creepy at all reasons. He just wanted to keep an eye on Y/N so she didn’t hurt Cherry Blossom.

Why Blossom even liked Y/N, Stretch didn’t know. She sounded like an absolute manipulative bitch. Then, again, she choked down his brother’s ‘friendship taco’... still, where was she going so early? Absolutely no one got up at 6 unless they absolutely had to. Again, oddly dressed up.

Was she going out to meet with someone? Of course she was, it sounded just like her from the stories Blossom had told. 

Stretch took a long drag from his cigarette, reveling in it as he glowered after the freeloader. Fucking bitch.

**-=-=-=-**

As soon as Y/N stepped into Grillby’s a quest pinged her vision.

  
  


**-Daily Quest Found!-**

**[Work it Girl!]**

**You wanted a job? You got a job. Complete tasks for your paycheck.**

**Objectives:**

**-Scrub The Counters**

**-Sweep The Floors**

**-Wipe Down Tables**

**-Take Out The Trash**

**-Dust The Office**

**-Wash The Dishes**

**\- Open more tasks [?] -**

**Tasks Completed - [0/5] [0/10] [0/15] . . .**

**Complete more tasks for more cash!**

Huh, that was neat, and a lot of things to do. Well, no pain no gain and all of that. Maybe if she did enough, she’d be able to move out of the skeleton house. Hopefully. God she hoped so.

Stepping into Grillby’s was like a breath of fresh air because here, at the very least, it didn’t feel like everyone and their mother was trying to kill her. Even if the goosebumps over her skin said otherwise.

Swirlby wasn’t at the bar today, or at least he hadn’t shown up yet. In fact, the only one in the main room was a cold-looking purple fire elemental, which was an oxymoron if ever one was said. He was dressed in a suit similar to the others, so there likely was a uniform. The difference with his being the jacket having an extremely fluffy collar that Y/N wanted to take from him. It looked so comfortable.

No, not the time to think about that Y/N, you have a job to do! Just gotta get the cleaning supplies and get to it… where were the cleaning supplies? Grillby was probably in the back again, she could ask him.

Striding solidly towards the fire exit, Y/N was stopped by a fiery hot hand around her wrist before she could open. Jerking, Y/N forced her hand from the grip. Turning, the tall fire elemental was looming over her. Suddenly, Y/N doubted she would be able to break his grip if he really was trying to hold her back. Dude looked buff as hell up close.

“ _ What- _ “ If Grillby’s voice was a campfire, his was a wildfire that burned enough ash into the air to turn the sky red, “ _ do you think you're doing? _ ”

Okay, seriously, what was with all of the weirdly veiled threats? Was Y/N just imagining all of these? Probably, wildfire there wasn’t around yesterday when she got hired. It was probably a perfectly innocent question and Y/N just needed to calm down and stop being so jumpy.

“Oh, you must be another employee. I’m Y/N Wyles,” she twisted her hand out of his grip, “the new cleaner around here.” Wildfire seemed to have a natural glower on his face, looking down at her now-free wrist, then up at her face. He didn’t believe her.

“I do realize these aren’t the best clothes for cleaning but I wanted to get a little  _ dressed up _ for the job.  _ The clothes make the man _ . I’m sure you’re aware of that though.” Y/N pulled a smile onto her face, the same fake one that she was sure was getting a work-out recently. Maybe she should buy that acting skill-tree. It might help with the fact she was a horrible liar. How Blue had even believed her the other night she didn’t know. He probably hadn’t all things considered.

The two of the stared at each other for a while, neither of them backing down. Wildfire raised a nonexistent eyebrow. Y/N had the odd feeling that he was either trying to be condescending her he found something in her that he approved of. Y/N wasn’t quite sure which she preferred.

“ _ Firefly. _ ” He said, then he went behind the bar and seemed to either be preparing for the days… or preparing a drink for himself. Y/N didn’t really care.

Turning through the fire exit, Grillby wasn’t in the kitchen. The office was locked but… well Y/N just figured she could find the cleaning supplies on her own. It wasn’t  _ that _ hard to find a janitor’s closet.

And it wasn’t, it just took a venture down the creepy hallway. At the very end was the employee bathroom, closer towards the kitchen was the supply room that held things like extra glasses, chairs, or whatever else might get broken during the day and had to be immediately replaced. In the middle of it was a much smaller closet. It had all of the cleaning supplies she was looking for. Chemicals, Bucket, Rags, Mop, Broom, the whole nine yards. Obviously, the last janitor was very thorough with their job.

Y/N certainly wasn’t OCD or a neat freak but she could be a janitor. How hard could it be?

  
  


The answer Y/N was looking for was ‘harder than expected’. While sweeping and dusting didn’t take too long, things that obviously required water to do definitely did. Such as the piles of dishes that had to have been there since the previous janitor retired because none of them could touch the stuff. Then there were the odd stains on some of the tables that Y/N didn’t want to know what was. At the very least, the majority of the bar was decently clean by the time opening rolled around.

Y/N knew that her next shift was probably going to be solely in the kitchen, it alone needed a hell of a scrub because otherwise any decent health inspector was going to have  _ words _ with Grillby. Not good words either. Maybe then she’d focus on the main area, then maybe the office? Nah, that’s thinking too far ahead. Focus on the kitchen next shift, she’d figure out what to clean next after that.

***Ping***

**Daily Quest Complete-**

**[Work it Girl!] - [11/15]**

**Earned: 55 Dollars, Continued Employment**

  
  


At the end of the day, the ping she felt for completing her tasks was probably way more satisfying than it should be and she was fucking starving. It was only 10 am, so brunch wasn’t out of the equation.

Bidding Firefly goodbye, and not getting much response in turn, Y/N left for home. Swirlby passing by her on his way to work, but both simply nodded at each other rather than take up precious time where Y/N could be eating and Swirlby could be… well just standing at the bar being pretty Y/N guessed.

Not-Razzberry was in the kitchen. Of course he was. Of course Y/N wouldn’t be able to get something to eat in goddamn peace. Of all the people to run into, it had to be one of the angry ones. Because that was just Y/N’s luck.

At the very least, both Y/N and Not-Razzberry seemed to ignore each other. Not-Razzberry wasn’t interested in focusing on her. In fact, he seemed to be busy trying to reach for… something… It was on the top shelf and she could hear his frustration for how short he was.

Making herself a sandwich, while also feeling very sympathetic for Not-Razzberry because she was also once that short, Y/N couldn’t help but watch the train wreck unfolding before her. Grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl, Y/N set her sandwich down on a napkin. She was just relating to Not-Razzberry’s struggle so much, she had to help. Also, Not-Razz looked ready to tear the cabinet from the fucking wall for daring to be too tall.

Briefly, Y/N considered picking him up so he could grab it for himself but… well, Y/N wasn’t that strong just yet. Maybe she could work out at the gym and then she’d be able to toss Not-Razzberry like a football. For now, she could probably just grab it her...self… didn’t she have those stat points from her level up. 

There were probably better uses for her stat points but a combination of the realization that half of these skeletons could snap her in two and the petty want to pick Not-Razzberry up. Also, the cabinets in this place were so damn tall that she had to stand on her tippy toes to reach the second shelf, so she couldn’t reach the top shelf either.

One quick add-on later, and a nice 13 strength, Y/N felt like she could probably lift Not-Razz. Maybe… Hopefully. If not, she had 5 more points she could invest in it.

Skeletons were… surprisingly heavy. Especially since this one seemed to be wearing armor for his job. Probably also a security guard like Razzberry. They did seem to be very alike.

Not-Razzberry let out a surprised sound, failing a little as he was picked up suddenly. Thankfully, he quickly got control of himself and actually grabbed what he was trying to get. Y/N huffed as she put him down, the skeleton quickly spinning around to look at her.

“What Do You Think You Are Doing, Human.” Not-Razzberry growled out, backing away but finding he couldn’t as the counter was right behind him.

“Helping. You can’t reach the top shelf, I can’t reach the top shelf. I figured that if I pick you up then one of us could reach it.” Y/N shrugged. For the first time, it didn’t feel like she was lying to one of them. Odd situation for that to be in but a situation nonetheless.

Not-Razzberry just stared at her, then the shelf, then her, then the shelf, then back at her, all with narrowed eyes like he was trying to do rocket science in his head or something. It was kind of awkward but at least it wasn’t a murdery silence.

“O-Kay,” Y/N backed away, grabbing her sandwich and apple, “See you later, Not-Razzberry. It was nice to meet you!” She made her way out.

A squawk came from behind her, “I AM THE MAGNIFICENT AND TERRIBLE BLACKBERRY, NOT THE HALF-WIT RAZZBERRY. REMEMBER THAT HUMAN!” Not-Razzberry, which she was totally going to keep calling him because he reacted funny, yelled behind her.

Or maybe she should call him Blackberry… nah, calling him Not-Razzberry was funnier… even if it probably didn’t bode well for her survival. Blackberry was one of the ones with anger issues, or an inflated sense of self. One of those. God, why did they all have to look so similar? Though Blackberry was shorter than Razzberry. Come to think of it, their heights were probably the easiest way to tell them apart.

‘Where to first?’ Y/N hummed as she took a bite of her sandwich. The house was actually quite big. The first floor had quite a few bedrooms as well as a gym somewhere if Y/N was remembering right. Then there was the basement, which the game talked about but never really showed. Finally, there was the garden that, when walking around the neighborhood, didn’t really make sense space-wise.

While going to the basement felt like it would be fun, or at least would sate her curiosity… she really  _ really _ didn’t want to be in this house for any longer than she had to. The air was suffocating. Even alone she felt like someone was about to walk in the room and stab her or something. Considering how much some of these skeletons seemed to hate Y/N, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Garden it is! Maybe some fresh air would do her some good. Besides, it was pretty much the most well drawn place in the entire game. Of course, that wasn’t saying  _ much _ but  _ still _ . Outside was outside.

The garden pretty much looked exactly like it did in-game. Right down to the oddly blue-ish colored grass and the squiggly looking roses. Not quite the ‘perfect paradise of romance and love’... which was both cheesy as hell and incredibly stupid.

Still, the air was clean and cool. Or at least cleaner than inside the house. Which, again, didn’t say much as the entire house had that slight scent of smoke that stuck in your throat and made it just that much harder to breathe.

Sitting on the back step, Y/N stared at nothing as she ate. There wasn’t much to look at if you weren’t a fan of dysmorphic flowers and oddly colored trees. Mostly, she tried to figure out how this big of a backyard fit into such a small space. Seriously, was it magic? Would she be able to pull off this space distortion shit eventually? 

_ Clatter _

A sound off to her right, around the side of the house where they kept the trash cans. Cherry had said a raccoon or cat or something always seemed to get into it and make a mess. Maybe Y/N could stop it and earn some brownie points with whoever usually had to pick it up? Sounded like a plan.

Eating the final bite of her sandwich, Y/N stood from her seat on the back steps. Eating the final bite of her sandwich, Y/N stood from her seat on the back steps. What could really go wrong? What could go wrong in a world where she has a reputation of being a lying, manipulative, back-stabbing bitch? Well… everything… rhetorical question.

Sneaking around the corner, Y/N peaked at the creature assaulting the garbage cans and… Well it certainly wasn’t a cat or a raccoon. In fact, it almost looked like a… a skeleton? A really small one at that, the smallest she’d seen. They looked really fragile and… well she couldn’t really tell with how obscured they were.

“Hey,” Y/N spoke softly. That alone was enough to startle the small thing. They darted behind one of the still-standing trash cans. If they were hard to see before they were impossible to see now.

Y/N frowned, what to do. Getting any closer might scare the little guy away… Well if they were going through the garbage, they were probably doing so because they had to. So homeless, probably hungry too. Did she have any food on her?... The apple! She hadn’t eaten that yet. In fact, she’d barely finished her sandwich.

Holding the apple out, Y/N spoke up again, “Are you hungry? I have some food… It’s not much but… I can probably go inside and get-“ The small skeleton darted out, snatching the apple from her before backing up again, “more…” Y/N finished, trailing off.

While the skeleton was about as far from her as he could reasonably get, he hadn’t returned to hiding behind the garbage can. That meant Y/N could actually see the small guy.

The small skeleton really was… well… small. He only looked to be maybe 4 and a half feet max. A child, really. With a large deep blue, stained blanket draped over his shoulder like a cape, part of it pulled up to cover his skull and pinned in place by absolutely nothing… probably magic actually. A thin white t-shirt and a tad too small shorts were the only other thing the skeleton had. It pinged Y/N’s soul. How sad, what had happened to his parents?

“Go on,” Y/N spoke, whispered really, when the skeleton looked unsurely between her and the apple, “It’s yours.” Y/N lowered herself to her knees. She didn’t want to intimidate him.

A tentative bite at first, then the little garbage thief started to devour the apple like his life depended on it. It really did pull at her soul. Maybe… maybe she could do this more often? How often did Cherry say the ‘cat’ came around? Y/N couldn’t really remember.

“I’m Y/N Wyles. It’s lovely to meet you. What’s your name?” Y/N made sure to keep her voice soft, body language inviting. Sadly, the small skeleton still shied away from her, seeming ready to bolt.

“Hey now, it’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. Why don’t you come sit with me?” Smiling soft at the small skeleton, Y/N leaned back on her heels. Her knees were starting to hurt from laying on the ground but she’d be damned if she intimidated the poor guy with her height.

Slowly at first, the little guy edged towards her. Step by step, he got closer to Y/N until he plopped down in front of her, mimicking her stance.

“Do you come here often? I can bring more food with me next time.” The small skeleton nodded his head slowly, seeming unsure of her.

The two sat in awkward silence. Was the little one mute or just shy? Y/N didn’t know. Either way, she couldn’t help but fill the silence with noise, humming softly to a random tune that didn’t quite make sense in her head and even less out loud.

Two little hands raised up, now empty as the little guy had eaten the entire apple core and all. He seemed to fumble with them for a moment, like he couldn’t remember what he was trying to do. Slowly, he formed a single letter.

_ ‘Z’ _

Y/N squinted, “Z? Is that your na-“ 

**_*SLAM*_ **

Z bolted, leaving Y/N’s line of sight and disappearing before she could even finish flinching at the loud noise. 

“Wait-“ Y/N cut herself off. Z was already gone anyway… What was that sound? It sounded like a door being slammed. Ugh, one of the angrier skeletons probably just came home… Fun… Well, best to escape to her room before she’s forced to socialize with them.

A brand new dot on her bracelet caught her eye, this one bright red and flashing like it was important. But… Y/N couldn’t remember doing anything super bad…

  
  


**[SYSTEM ALERT]**

**WARNING - You have just encountered a [Character] with a [Danger Level] over 70. Be careful as your next actions may result in a GAME OVER**

Y/N froze, turning pale. That… that little guy?... N-no… Z didn’t look like he could hurt a fly… Yeah, you know what? Retreating to her room sounded like a  _ great _ idea right now.

  
  


**-=-=-=-**

New… Dangerous? No… Nice… But feels dangerous… Like me?... No not like me… Like dad… but not… Who?... Y-Y/N? Nice name… Nice.. feed me… I like…

Y/N… Nice… Protect… No hurt… No want hurt… Nice...

**-=-=-=-**

The hatch fell shut behind her with a thud. A breath of air Y/N didn’t know she was holding escaped her. God, that was stressful. She didn’t see whomever the fuck had come home so angry but she sure damn felt that he wanted any excuse to hurt someone. Probably her because she was so disliked around here.

Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, Y/N immediately regretted it as she developed a coughing fit. Oh god damnit, this just couldn’t go on. That was it, she was going to clean this damn room up!

Where to start… Y/N waved a hand in front of her, looking around the space. In terms of overall surface area taken up, the furniture was obviously in the lead. But in terms of quantity, it looked like messing around with the boxes would clear up the most space… hopefully.

At the very front of the wall of boxes, there were a couple of nearly empty ones containing what looked like scraps of fabric and dust bunnies. Well, they would do for anything she couldn’t just shove onto one of the old shelves jammed into the room.

Really, Y/N wasn’t sure what she was expecting. Maybe some interesting finds? The most interesting thing she found were some antique looking photos and a shiny book that when she touched popped up as -

  
  


**[Skill Book Found] - Beginner’s French**

**Requirement: INT 10**

**Learn?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

  
  


So she couldn’t even learn the basics of french. Damn, she knew a guy as dumb as a toaster in High School who could do better than that. Didn’t that make Y/N feel bad about her intelligence.

There were a lot of other books too that she read whenever she got sick of picking up boxes, moving their objects somewhere that would take up less space, and collapsing the boxes. So by the time she got anywhere special she could now learn the basics of French… Yay?

Rinse and repeat for the next few hours. Choose a box, clear box, collapse box to recycle or just take up less space. Slowly more and more of the weird looking shelving units actually had things in them. A few of the bookshelves were even filled up completely. Her special book got its own place on the table by her bed, but under some of the stuff on it so no one would touch it.

It was exhausting work and very boring but you know what? At least her phone had a music app. People could probably hear her bad singing from downstairs but did she care? Absolutely not. Y/N would probably regret that decision later but that was for future Y/N to deal with, not present Y/N.

A box of sewing supplies of all things was where it got interesting. She was about… two thirds of the way through the mess and damn near ready to take a break. In fact, it was the last box Y/N planned to do. In the box was another shiny thing, which meant that it had something to do with the game. So of course, Y/N touched it immediately.

  
  


**[Legendary Item Found] - Trusted Ribbons**

**A long roll of ribbon loving cared for. Once planned to be made into a beautiful dress to give to a dearly beloved. Sadly, it never got its chance to shine but… just maybe it will with you.**

**-Raises REP with those who are given pieces of it**

**\- Activates ability [Second Chance] upon a [Bad Ending]**

Safe to say, that went into the inventory immediately. It also both soothed her nerves after learning that meeting Z could’ve caused a bad ending, so probably her dying as far as Y/N was aware, and also tore her nerves to shreds because What. The. Fuck.

Really, it should’ve been simple. Just a nice item to get that would help her in the future if ever she got a bad ending, which certainly wasn’t the plan. But no, things were never that simple for Y/N. What if it was just an omen that she was going to die soon? Why couldn’t things just be simple?

Taking several deep breaths, Y/N decided she was done for the day. It was around dinner time but she wasn’t hungry. She was exhausted, worried as all hell over something that probably wouldn’t even matter —hopefully— and definitely didn’t want to go downstairs if it meant she had to eat a ‘friendship taco’ again.

You know what did sound good? A nap. A very long nap. Preferably one that would let her hibernate until all of this shit was over. But no, she had work tomorrow so she’d have to face the day again.

But that was tomorrow, which meant it was future Y/N’s problem. Present Y/N, on the other hand, was tired and wanted to sleep because past Y/N fucked up. So she did. This time, she actually crawled under the sheets before she tried to fall asleep.

Sleep didn’t come nearly as easy that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No work Wednesdays, Reader should hang out with...  
> a) Blueberry (+REP with Blueberry) (- REP with ???)  
> b) Edge (? REP with Edge) (Access to GYM) (+4 STR, +2 END)  
> c) Sans (+ REP with Sans) (- REP with ???)
> 
> Z is back again! Reader should...  
> a) Bring him food and talk with him  
> b) Ignore him  
> c) Tell one of the others (+ or - REP depending on who you tell) (-REP with Z)
> 
> Reader needs to make a decision, should she...  
> a) Try to raise physical stats  
> b) Try to raise mental stats  
> c) Look for quests to raise level
> 
> Comment which perk Reader should get


	5. One Step at a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta admit, I'm really happy with how Z's turning out! He actually is an au Sans, I wonder if you can figure out which one? Put it in the comments with your votes! His personality hasn't exactly come through yet but I figure you'll see it soon. Depends entirely on your choices! As always.

No alarm awoke Y/N the next day, rather her body just decided to wake up around 7 am and no matter how much she tried to go back to sleep, she just couldn’t. So, figuring that if the gods decided now what the time she would act, she got up. It wasn’t fun, but she got up.

Still only having two outfits, and not really being able to afford more with her grand total of $55, at least that was an easy decision. Mix and matching, she went with the wine red top and black skinny jeans. As much as she loved skirts, she wasn’t about to repeat an outfit. It was just the point of the matter.

Standing in ‘the middle’ of her room, Y/N began some basic stretches. She felt a little stupid as she bent her limbs in a bastardized version of what she thought yoga looked like. Really, Y/N didn’t know what you did in yoga. Her stretching experience was high school P.E. So, really, she just bent randomly till she felt something tighten and then stayed there for about a minute.

Was it a good way to stretch? Probably not, but going through what she remembered of her P.E warm ups made her feel like she did something. Was it a lot of something? No, but it was something. So there was that.

What to do for the day? It wasn’t like she could invest in any of her hobbies. Y/N didn’t really own anything. Much less a camera or a guitar or hell anything but a water bottle and two sets of clothes. Really, it was quite ridiculous. Couldn’t they have given her more stuff? At least she had a phone…

Getting off topic, back to the whole ‘deciding what to do’ thing. Really, Y/N’s only option was people but people… well most people in this house seemed to hate her. Maybe getting to know them better would change that? But who would she hang out with?

Y/N only really ‘knew’ Papyrus, Edge, Blueberry and Not-Razz… Blackberry, that’s his name. Well, technically she ‘knew’ Razzberry too but… he wasn’t very nice. Her options were also limited by who wasn’t working and… well… she didn’t exactly know their schedules.

Most importantly of all, Y/N was 101% certain, with a margin of 1% error on either side, that they all hated her. By technicality, they didn’t hate  _ her _ , they hated  _ Peachie _ but to them there wasn’t really a difference. To Cherry, there wasn’t a difference. Really, Y/N would just have to deal with it.

Didn’t she have a perk that would help with that? Y/N thought she did. It wouldn’t hurt to check. If she did, good, she might actually make friends. If she didn’t, well tough cookies.

The  **Pause Room** fizzled into form around her. Though, Y/N had to ask, why the hell did it always leave her sitting —or standing, usually standing— on the bench? Was it just her respawn point or whatever? Hopefully, she’d never die and wouldn’t have to find out… but she did have that ribbon… NO! No. Don’t worry about that Y/N

Searching through the perk list again, Y/N found she was remembering correctly and did, in fact, have a perk that would help her make friends… supposedly… that is what ‘Public Relations’ means, right? Right.

Then again… the mana perk was looking mighty fine… No! No, no. As fun as magic might be, Y/N sure as hell wasn’t going to end up ‘mysteriously’ disappearing in three weeks time because some skeletons decided they hated her. 

Decision made mostly out of survival instincts, Y/N bought  **[Everybody Loves Me]** . Though she was definitely buying her mana perk at the next earliest possible chance. Come on, it was MAGIC! General survival just beat out her want to be able to toss around cars with her mind.

**Advancement Made!**

**[One Small Step For Man…]**

  * **Buy your first perk**



**Rewards: $20, 50 XP, + (1) Random Item, +5 Skill Points**

…What the hell was an Advancement? Was it just an achievement but by another name? She got a level from an achievement? She got  _ money _ from an achievement?... Y/N needed to do more advancements.

There wasn’t a list for advancements to find, so Y/N guessed she would just have to stumble into them or something. Could be worse, at least she had $75 dollars now rather than $55. Not much of a difference but it was a difference.

Y/N would worry about the random item later, she was more curious on what skills she got from the  **Public Relations** tree. Also, what skill points were.

Jumping on over to her skills, Y/N saw that under her perk section, she now had  **[Everybody Love Me]** listed. Back to her skills. There was a new skill listed simply saying.

**[Public Relations Tree]**

Next to the title, there was a new section that read ‘Skill Points’. As curious as Y/N was of her new skills, she also wanted to know what the hell a ‘Skill Point’ was. The game could read her mind. Answer her!

**Skill Points -**

**Gain from Advancements. 5 Skill Points are given every other level up. Skill Points are gained every time a skill is evolved equal to the skill’s previous level.**

**Using Skill Points, other skills can be bought along a skill tree. This effect does not work on skill [Persuasion] or any equivalent tree that may evolve from it as [Persuasion] is a SOUL skill.**

Thank you, Game. Y/N didn’t know exactly what a ‘Soul Skill’ was but she could guess. It was a little sad that she would have to buy other skill trees rather than just evolve the skills naturally but she could deal. Y/N could deal. She had to deal.

No time to get hung up on that, Y/N had skills to look at. An entire skill tree at that!

Flicking over the tree name, the screen was overtaken by two main skills at the top. From them lines and grayed out boxes detailed down like tree roots. Presumably, they were all the locked skills she couldn’t access yet. Especially seeing how the next available skill took 10 skill points to unlock.

Overall, the skill tree was divided into two sections, each branch coming from the two skills she had unlocked. Based solely off of the two skills available, Y/N chose to call these branches ‘Good Cop’ and ‘Bad Cop’.

Both skills were naturally pretty basic being the first in a long line. For ‘Good Cop’ there was,

**Compliment (Level 1) - Active - Not quite flirting but people like it when you say nice things about them - Level Of Skill + Charisma % REP Gain to those under effect (Current Effect Lasts: [10] seconds)**

While for ‘Bad Cop’ there was,

**Intimidation (Level 1) - Active - You have an aura around you that makes people want to listen, or else - Level of Skill + Charisma % Chance to Succeed**

Sure, they weren’t very impressive at the moment but anything helped at this point. Besides, they’d get stronger as they leveled up, just as Y/N did. Speaking of which, she now had 15 stat points to play around with. She could invest them in certain stats or… well trying to raise them naturally while she could was arguably the better option.

Mind made up, Y/N returned to the odd bench-thing in the middle of the room she didn’t entirely get. Sitting down, Y/N resumed time.

As the world flickered into existence around her, Y/N found herself sitting on the floor with the same dilemma as before. Who was she going to hang out with? She didn’t know many people, even fewer that actually liked her.

Hanging with Swirlby or Grillby or even Firefly would be nice, at least Y/N knew they wouldn’t attack her or something. Y/N didn’t really have a way to contact them yet. So that was a no go.

Growling from her stomach broke that train of thought. Right, she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. How much time, real time that is, had she been up? Half an hour if her phone was to be believed. Perfect time for breakfast.

Y/N made her way downstairs. The house was startlingly empty. Either the walls blocked sound expertly, which she knew from the kitchen incident wasn’t true, or everyone was gone… Probably the second option. Most people worked on Wednesdays after all.

That was a good thing, probably. It meant that Y/N wouldn’t get accosted trying to get a morning snack. So, yeah, a good thing. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Y/N went in a beeline to the fridge. She opened the doors, stared, and realized that while she wanted food, she didn’t want to make anything. So she just closed the fridge door. Maybe they had breakfast bars or granola or something.

In the pantry, a small box of no name granola bars were found and promptly swiped away into her inventory. The less Y/N had to interact with these people in an area with a rather large amount of knives the better.

Leaving the kitchen, Y/N found herself running into Edge. Quite literally as she toppled backwards from the force, nearly falling over. A meep left Y/N, an embarrassingly high-pitched sound.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING,  _ HUMAN _ ” Edge spat out the word like it was the foulest thing he’d ever tasted, clawing at his throat on its way out. Y/N wasn’t sure if he always pronounced it like that or if he was doing it specifically to insult her. She wouldn’t exactly be surprised.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going…” Y/N trailed off with a strained smile, something that was quickly becoming a constant with her, “Are you going to the gym or something?”

Rather than the get-up she’d seen him in so far, namely a leather mid-drift jacket with a red shirt —tank top maybe? Hard to tell— and leather pants like he’d just walked out of a hot topic, he was dressed in what you’d expect to wear to a gym. A black tank-top with just enough fabric to not be considered to have spaghetti straps and some deep red short shorts. Admittedly, it had her staring at his knees of all things. 

It’s just, how? He didn’t have any muscle or sinew or anything. At a glance, it didn’t even look like his bones were connected at all. Maybe there was something in the shadows between his bones? Maybe they were just connected? Actually, now that Y/N could see more of his body, his bones weren’t really all that similar to a human skeleton.

Yes, the overall skeleton was a similar shape to a human, but the bones looked thicker, tougher even. Some parts around his collarbone were fused when they shouldn’t be. The space between his clave and forearm bones were both smaller, though she’d still be able to stick her fingers in. Was that a weird thought to have around a skeleton? Probably… but what would that even feel like?

“OBVIOUSLY.” Edge scoffed, drawing Y/N from her thoughts. How long had she been staring blankly at his knees? Well, he didn’t look like he noticed so Y/N guessed it didn’t matter.

“Can I come? I’d like to get to know you a little more. What better way to do that than a little  _ physical activity _ .” Did Y/N realize the second meaning to what she said? No. Did Edge? Yes. Did Edge like it? Not if you asked him.

“YOU MAY ABSOLUTELY NOT” Finishing his sentence with a huff, Edge stomped away, mood ruined. 

Well, Edge may not want her there but Y/N was going to follow him to the gym anyway. It would be useful to know where it was. Especially since she’d rather not just wander around randomly where she could run into anyone. Just like she’d ran into Edge.

Following Edge to a nice wooden door, the large skeleton twirled on his heel. Hand planted firmly on his hips, Edge leaned down as he quite literally looked down on her.

“WHAT ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME FOR.” He demanded. With his face so close to Y/N’s, she could clearly see every notch on his face. Many little dents and cuts that were virtually invisible from further away. They were drowned out compared to the three claw marks that had torn at his right eye socket.

“I wanted to know where the gym is so I could work out. I’m trying to improve myself.” Y/N proclaimed proudly. Edge just stared down at her, disbelieving. It was almost insulting if Y/N didn’t know her reputation… actually she did know her reputation and it was still insulting.

“RIGHT.” Edge raised an eyeridge. Standing and whirling back around, he walked through the door, slamming it behind him. Y/N just stared after the door for a little. She hadn’t even been in the house that long and dealing with Peachie’s reputation already felt like it was killing her slowly.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N gathered her patience, which really was the choice she should’ve gone with now that she thought of it. It wouldn't do well for her to snap at them. In fact, it might just make everything worse.

Pushing open the wooden door, Y/N was assaulted with the scent she only ever really associated with gym. It was that scent of chemicals with the undertone of sweat. It was very faint, but it was there like it was in all gyms.

White walls, one of which was lined with wall-length mirrors, and gray-ish blue linoleum floors. To the left was a lineup of weights, a few exercise balls and a purple yoga mat. There were a few machines to her right. A couple of treadmills, a bench press, and one of those step-stair things Y/N didn’t know the name of. A bicycle machine was in the middle of the room. Pull up bars were placed next to the mirrors.

In the very corner, warming up near a boxing bag, was Edge. He looked to be ignoring her, which was reasonable. Y/N looked away, where to start? The treadmill would probably help with dexterity, the weights were a strength thing, agility was dodging so probably a few things she remembered watching her sister  **_—_ ** **_you’llneverseeheragain—_ ** do during soccer practice. Endurance would probably be raised doing just workouts in general.

Maybe she could start with strength for today? Cardio wasn’t really looking all too appealing. Then again, did it ever? Yeah, that’s what Y/N thought.

She made her way over to the weights, realizing that, much like earlier, she had no idea what she was doing. Testing out a few weights, Y/N really just kind of messing around with them. Sure, she knew how to do curl ups and other basic things but… well she’s  _ trying _ to befriend Edge…

“Uh, excuse me?” Edge ignored her. Y/N sighed, setting down her weight. “Can you help me? I… have no idea what I’m doing. And… I figured…” Y/N made her way closer to Edge, “You’re so amazing, if anyone would be able to help me it would be you.”

Y/N gave a hopeful smile. Even as Edge looked down at her with that same look on his face, like she was nothing more than a bug to squish. Considering his height and strength, Y/N doubted doing so to her would be very hard.

“FINE.” With a huff, Edge stood. He took her wrist, causing Y/N to yelp, and dragged her back over to the weights. “SURELY, YOU AT LEAST KNOW HOW TO WARM UP.” 

Her smile turned strained, the floor suddenly looking very interesting. Y/N really was clueless when it came to certain things. Safe to say, she was about as far from active as one could be. Sports? Nah. P.E? Once she could stop, she did.

Edge just growled, muttering something under his breath. It’s impressive how someone so loud could be so quiet. The text in the game made it sound no matter how quiet they tried to be, you could still hear exactly what they were saying.

Several hours of, frankly, devilish working out ensued. Maybe Y/N was being over dramatic, as she had a tendency to do, or maybe she was just out of shape but… Well, actually it was probably a mixture of both. By the end of it, she felt exhausted but she managed to finish...somehow.

Panting, crouched over on shaking knees, Y/N tried to regain her breath. Glancing up, Y/N noticed Edge looked...considerate? Was that the word? It was different from his usual ‘absolutely disgusting, why are you even alive’ look.

Standing back up again, Y/N stretched her arms. “Whew, I haven’t had a workout that good since… Well, probably ever,” Y/N gave a tired giggle, “Thanks Edge. You were amazing.” An honest compliment? From Y/N to Edge? Blasphemy. Still, his patience with a person who he hated and had no idea what they were doing was admirable.

“YES, WELL, THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS.” Edge huffed, turning away from Y/N as she gathered herself. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with one of the provided hand towels by the door, she dropped it in the wash bin.

“I plan to be here at least every Wednesday so… I’ll see you next week?” As expected, Edge didn’t give a reply. So, Y/N just shrugged and left the room. The resounding ping in her head something to be ignored until a later time. She was starving… where was the kitchen from here again?

**-=-=-=-**

Odd… Yes, that was the best way to describe that infernal ‘Peach’ or whatever her name was. Of course, there were a lot of other things to call her. A master manipulator, a liar, worth nothing more than the dirt beneath his boot.

The last thing Edge had expected was for her to come to  _ him _ . Especially not with an offer to do…  _ things _ with her. Why that little wretch would think the great and terrible Edge would be interested in her, he couldn’t say. Regardless, ‘helping’ her was the last thing Edge had wanted to do.

And yet, that wretched human  _ followed _ him. Did she not know how to take ' No’ for an answer? Considering what Edge knew of her, he doubted anyone had said no to her in her  _ life _ .

‘Wanted to improve herself’ she said, ‘was just going to work out’ she claimed. Yeah, right. That lazy, good-for-nothing human would never lift a finger in her  _ life _ if she didn’t have to… yet she did…

They even pushed their pride aside and asked for his  _ help _ . Edge was  _ not _ an idiot. It was likely just a tactic to get closer so the slut could get in his pants. It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard of her doing it before.  _ Why _ he accepted, Edge didn’t know. But he did.

Edge hadn’t expected her to last five minutes without trying something. Flirting with him or whatever went on in her stupid little head. Yet… it never came. She went through the workout, didn’t complain… then asked to do it again? What, was she expecting him to say ‘Yes’? Like a  _ date _ ? Ha, the Great and Terrible Edge bowed to no one’s whims.

Still, she hadn’t reacted at all like he expected. Nothing like he’d planned to deal with.  _ That _ … that was  _ not _ something Edge was used to.  _ He  _ **_hated_ ** _ it. _

“ **_Don’t count on it_ ** .” Edge grumbled to the empty room… he had his own workout to do. No time for that… that strange, wrong,  _ infuriating _ little brat.

Odd… odd was the perfect word to describe that situation.

**-=-=-=-**

After a few minutes of wandering, Y/N found the kitchen. Thank god, she was starving after that workout. A nice ham and cheese and an apple was in order after that hassle.

While making her sandwich, Y/N had a thought. What if Z came back? Should she make something extra? Sure he was dangerous but… he looked like a child. A small, hungry, homeless child… Y/N just doubted the Danger level was being correct in this case.

So she made a second sandwich, grabbed another apple, and headed out. It wasn’t an issue to Y/N. Cherry said that Y/N didn’t have to pay for groceries or anything really… It made Y/N feel like a freeloader. A dark, squirmy feeling in her chest when she made her food.

Maybe once Y/N had some decent money saved up, she could pay Cherry back. Yeah, that would be nice… right? Sighing, Y/N shut the door behind her. God, she was tired.

Last time, Z was around by the trash cans… so he’d likely be over there, right? Sneaking around, wouldn’t do to startle him, Y/N kneeled in the same position she was in before.

Could Y/N see Z? No, but the little guy probably had a way to hide so she couldn’t see him. Damn, what Y/N would give for a skill tree that let her hide. Or a survival one. Then, she wouldn’t even be in this situation.

“Hey, Z? I’m back… I brought food.” Y/N put her paper towel wrapped sandwich beside her, reaching the other out towards the empty space. Admittedly, she felt a little stupid. It was like she was talking to herself. Technically speaking, she sort of was.

Y/N sat there for… maybe five minutes? Maybe longer. Just sat and patiently waited for Z to show himself. Then, the small skeleton snuck out. At first, Y/N still couldn’t tell him from the shadows caused by the neighboring house.

Then Z snatched the food from her, and it was a bit easier to see him as Y/N followed his hand. Her view was… a tad creepy. Just two glowing white dots before the shadow seemed to recede a bit and Z became visible. How did he do that? Wait, no, dumb question. It was magic, obviously… maybe she should’ve used the perk point on magic… but the public relations one was probably the only reason that Edge actually agreed to help her… Why was this so hard?

Sitting in silence, the two of them ate. Z seemed to try and slow down from obliterating his sandwich in seconds, watching Y/N with large eyes. It was a little bit uncomfortable. Just a tad. Then again, anyone would feel off if someone was staring at them so intently.

“So…” Y/N began softly, “How are you doing? Has anything happened since we last met?”

Z stared down at his sandwich, finishing off the little he had left. Then he looked back up at Y/N. Z shook his head ‘no’. Then went back to staring.

“Hmm, that’s fair. My day’s been pretty boring now that I think about it too.” Y/N smiled sardonically, yeah ‘boring’. Because convincing a hot head who hated you to help you work out was ‘boring’.

“If I can ask, how old are you? I’m 23, though I’ve been told I don’t really look it.” Laughing softly, Y/N shook her head. She had literally once gotten her i.d taken away because someone was convinced it was fake. It wasn’t funny at the time, mostly just frustrating. But in retrospect, it was a little funny.

_ ‘E-i-g-h-t-e-e-n’ _ Z finger spelled…

What? No, he’s so small! Probably the shortest 18-year-old Y/N had ever met… Maybe he had a condition? Or maybe he was just naturally small? Didn’t malnutrition stunt growth too? If he’s been homeless for a while, he was probably malnourished.

A giggling came from Z, startling both of them. Z put his hands over his mouth, like he hadn’t expected that. Then again, this was the first sound Y/N had heard Z make that wasn’t from fright so she was startled too. 

“S-sorry. Guess I just wasn’t expecting that. You’re just so...small...and cute...Not that I mean that in a mean way! You’re really adorable so it surprised me you were an adult and… I’m just digging myself a hole aren’t I?” Y/N sighed.

‘ _ Been told...don’t look age _ ’ Z seemed to be fighting a smile, causing Y/N to smile too. Then, both of them started laughing, though very quietly in Z’s case.

Yeah, the danger rating had to be lying. There was  _ no _ way this little guy could harm anyone. In all honesty, he kind of reminded her of a small, small animal. Like a small kitten. A very skittish, malnourished, mute kitten.

The two of them talked for a while longer, though it was very one sided. Y/N often just felt like she was talking to herself but… well Z didn’t seem to mind. It kind of reminded her of a friend she used to have before dying  **_—neverseeagain—_ ** which really was nice.

“Hey, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. There’s still stuff I need to do for today.” Giving Z a kind smile, Y/N stood. For a moment, it almost looked like Z wanted to say something.

He seemed to decide against it, simply nodding his head. Y/N gave him a little wave, turning and walking away. She could feel his eyes staring as she turned the corner. Even after, the feeling of being watched didn’t go away… Y/N was probably just being paranoid though. Even if the feeling made her  _ skin crawl _ .

**-=-=-=-**

...friend?...friend back?... mine friend… mine friend back!

Food… good food… eat… good friend… no hurt friend… good friend…

Funny friend… older friend?... older funny friend… mine older funny friend

Like mine-older-funny friend… Y/N… good name for mine-older-funny friend

Peachie… mine-older-funny friend Y/N nicknamed Peachie?...

Good Peachie, my Peachie…

_ Mine _ …  _ my Peachie _

**-=-=-=-**

“Peachie!” Completely out of left field, Cherry went and threw herself at Y/N, damn near bowling her over with the force. Stiffening, Y/N struggled to breathe as Cherry hugged her. It honestly felt like Cherry was doing her best to crush Y/N’s ribs.

“Hey Cherry,” Y/N gritted out, “What’s going on?” Even if Y/N tried to hug Cherry back, which she would’ve if she could, she couldn’t. Her arms pinned to her side by Cherry’s honestly astonishing strength.

“You know that book series I’ve been obsessed with?” No, “The one I’ve told you all about?” Not a clue, “The new book finally arrived at the librarby!” Did you just pronounce it ‘librarby’, “Wanna come get it with me?” Cherry asked.

Y/N was about to say ‘no’ but then she thought about it. While, yes, being the gamer meant she  _ could _ go and workout again without injuring herself from over exertion, thank god for Gamer’s Body. Y/N… didn’t feel like it. Besides, she wouldn’t want her mental stats to fall behind. Intelligence and Wisdom were very important… Though now, she’s wondering how she's supposed to raise charisma…

Not important. Saying no would probably make Cherry sad. That’s a bad thing because not only would Cherry be sad but the skeletons of the house would probably hate her, despise her at that. 

“Sure.” Y/N replied simply, shrugging. At first, Cherry just stared at Y/N. Then, a large grin, so large that it looked like it hurt, spread over her face. It was honestly a little heart-wrenching at how… how  _ excited _ she seemed from Y/N accepting such a simple request.

“Let’s go!” Cherry grabbed Y/N’s hand almost hard enough to hurt, pulling her along. Y/N stumbled, struggling to not trip over things as Cherry ventured through the house. Like all stereotypical anime protagonists, Cherry’s only ‘flaws’ were being ‘too trusting’ ‘too kind’ and ‘clumsy’. 

The fact that neither of them managed to trip over chairs, random socks on the floor, or their own two feet was frankly astonishing. Corners of walls around corners came very close. In fact, Y/N just barely managed to steer Cherry around them. Not that Cherry noticed it in her excitement.

“Where you goin’, suga?” A rough, deep accented voice spoke, almost sounding like a badly-mimicked boston accent. Turning around, the two of them spotted the smaller of the hot-topic brothers… was that a fucking collar around his neck?

It was, wasn’t it? Y/N almost couldn’t see it with all the fluff on his jacket, which she kind of wanted to either pet or steal if not for the overpowering mustard scent, but it was there. Bright red with gold spiked, looking ostentatious and kind of ridiculous. Another interesting bit was how he almost seemed to be sweating? How can skeletons even sweat?

“Heya Red! We’re just about to head out to the librarby.” Cherry chirped. Y/N didn’t care that this was, apparently, Red or that he was very obviously flirting with Cherry or even that he was completely ignoring Y/N and almost seemed scared to talk with her if Y/N was reading him right. All Y/N wanted to know was why the hell Cherry was pronouncing it ‘Librarby’.

Spacing out as the two of them, well more like just Red because Cherry was just  _ like that _ most of the time, flirting with each other. Red’s idea of flirting was really weird though. A lot of backhanded compliments and pet names.

Listening to the odd flirting wasn’t really all that interesting though. Really, Y/N would rather be in the library or working out or doing anything else really. Would interrupting them be considered too rude? Nah.

“Not to interrupt but are we going to get you that book or no?” Y/N butted in, interrupting Red telling Cherry how her outfit made her look ‘less like a drowned rat than usual’... Like… seriously? This is why Y/N was never able to finish his route.

“Right! Let’s go Peachie! Bye Red-red.” With that, the two of them left. Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that Red… didn’t like that very much. Then again, Y/N doubted he liked her very much to begin with.

  
  


Nothing much happened in the library, just a lot of reading. Y/N sort of just glossed over all of it, Peachie’s excited voice spoiling the entire book series she was obsessed with drumming in her ears. It was sort of cute in a way. Not to mention refreshing being in a place where she didn’t feel threatened. Grillby’s was a close second but… well bars were never really considered a safe space to Y/N.

Despite the spoilers Y/N accumulated over the short span of time in the library, it was a nice visit. She did find a couple skill books she would have to come back at a later date for, which was the only interesting bit. Sadly, Y/N’s stats, physical, mental, and magical, stopped her from being able to… absorb them? What would happen when she read a skill book? Maybe she could try it on the French book in her room later.

All in all it was very… plain. Exactly what you would expect from a library. So much had happened in the past… what, only two days? Damn, so much for such a short amount of time. The plain, average library trip was a nice change of pace. Just some innocent skill-building with a friend.

Despite everything that had happened recently, it was a nice day… if only things could stay that way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader can't sleep, she should go to...  
> a) The Kitchen (+ Encounter)  
> b) The Garden (+ &#@$!@$)  
> c) The Basement (+ Encounter)
> 
> After a... meeting Reader decides to...  
> a) Explore the Town (New Character)  
> b) Visit Grillby's (+ REP with Swirlby) (+ REP with ???)  
> c) Visit the Park (New Character)
> 
> Finally back home, Reader should...  
> a) Follow the sound of crying (+ REP with ???)  
> b) Ignore the crying (+ Decent night's sleep)  
> c) Tell someone else about the crying (- REP with ???)


	6. What Happens In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N's had a long day, okay? Well, more like a long night. Things seem to be going okay for her though, just a little sleeplessness. That's all it is...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried my best for an actual summary for this chapter. Probably not that good though. Again we had a pretty close tie for where to go when Reader can't sleep. By four-ish votes (according to my last count before writing this chapter), we went to the kitchen. Hope you're all enjoying where your choices lead you!

She couldn’t sleep. Y/N didn’t know why, but she couldn’t sleep. Staring at her ceiling, trying to drift off to little success. How long had she been laying down?

For a while, she just tossed and turned, eyes closed in a vain attempt to trick her body into thinking she was already asleep. It didn’t work. Y/N still just couldn’t go to sleep. The worst part is, she didn’t even know why.

A soft growl filled the quiet room. Okay, so maybe Y/N was just hungry? She hadn’t had dinner, again. Really, Y/N was just avoiding dinner because Friendship Tacos? Never again.

Maybe… maybe if Y/N ate she could go to sleep? It was worth a try if nothing else. Tip-toeing down the ladder and out of Cherry’s room, mindful that Y/N’s room was through Cherry’s. Wouldn’t do to wake her. Soft snores made it obvious that her… friend —were they friends?— was asleep.

There was slightly less care taken when going downstairs but she still tried to be as quiet as possible. The skeletons hated her when they were nice and refreshed. Who knows what would happen if they were woken up in the middle of the night. They’d be cranky as hell at the very least. Y/N knew she would be.

Sliding down the railing, Y/N landed softly on the carpeted floor. Padding her way through the living room, which looked much creepier in the dark, she made her way to the kitchen. 

The kitchen tiles were cool under Y/N’s feet. It was odd, the total quiet around her. Nothing making a noise but herself, not even a cricket. Was it nice? Hard to tell. But it was something.

Now, time for food. Probably nothing big, just a little snack. Y/N didn’t feel like making anything. Much like all her impulses since getting here two-ish days ago, she mostly just wanted to sleep. So, whatever was in the pantry.

Granola? Boring, already had that. Breakfast bars? Nah. Those weird chocolate chips made specifically for baking? Those tasted horrible. Literally just a piece of bread? Not feeling like it.

Most of the stuff in the pantry was for making other stuff. There were some odd cereal brands that Y/N didn’t recognize though… then she found it. The holy grail. What Y/N had been searching for all this time. A. Decent. Snack.

Okay, maybe that’s just a  _ tiny teensy weensy  _ bit dramatic. Just a little bit. Y/N was tired and hungry damnit, let her be. What was the snack she found? A box of fruit roll ups. Yep, that’s it. Just a box of fruit roll ups that she totally stashed into her inventory the moment she found them.

It was weird. They didn’t have apple or samsung or lucky charms or anything, but they still had fruit roll ups? They didn’t have google! Yet, they had  _ fruit roll ups _ ? Ah, who cares. At least she found them.

Unrolling her roll up, Y/N hopped up onto the island in the kitchen. Sitting with her legs cross, she began meticulously eating her roll up. Peeling it off as she ate it. As you do.

“Can’t sleep?” A gravelly voice shocked Y/N as it came from seemingly nowhere. A huff of amusement came from behind her as Y/N choked on her roll up.

Coughing, Y/N bent to look at the mystery voice. It was one of the taller skeletons. Also one of the edgier ones. A dark jacket with matted-looking fur, a deep orange-ish red-ish sweater, and long black sweatpants that fell short of his ankles. A thin scar started at his left temple, running down over his nose ridge, and ending just above his golden tooth. His white pin-pricks glowed in the dark, giving off an earlier feeling.

“Something like that, was...thinking…” Y/N mumbled in response, watching as the mystery skeleton took a drag off his cigarette, “You stay up to smoke or something?”

“Something like that,” the edgy guy quipped sarcastically, “Nah, M’lord kicked me out for smokin’” His brother kicked him out? Did they not have separate rooms or something? Odd…

“Oh, okay.” Y/N looked back to her fruit roll up, “I’m Y/N… you probably already know that though, huh?” Y/N let out a strained chuckle, fiddling with the roll up a bit before tearing a piece off to chew on. 

“Name’s Mutt.” A gangle caused Y/N to glance back. With his free hand, ‘Mutt’ was messing with a black and gold choker —or collar? One of the two— with… with a short chain connected to it… Oh… maybe they did sleep together… weren’t they brothers?

Y/N considered it for a moment, then went back to eating. Not her place to judge, or care. Focus on each other as much as you want, just leave Y/N alone. Seriously, leave her alone.

A terse silence rose in the air, feeling thin and like it would snap at any moment. Both people in the room stayed carefully quiet. It felt like if Y/N breathed wrong then… well who knows actually. Nothing good would happen, that’s for sure.

So, instead, Y/N ignored it. What could go wrong? If she did nothing, surely he couldn’t get mad at her and kill her or whatever the hell he did to the original Peachie in three weeks time. Seriously, what would happen? It wasn’t like the game said she died or anything, she just stopped showing up.

It was kind of eating Y/N inside out a little. Having the future be so uncertain was rather...new for her. She’d always had a plan for the future. What college she would go to, what field she was going to work in, her first job, her first car, all of it had been planned by either her or her parents **_—neveragain—_ **

Curling in her stomach was a tight feeling, a wrong one. Crawling up her chest to wrap around her heart and  _ squeeze _ . It was horrible, suffocating. She couldn’t deal with it, she needed to leave. Y/N needed to get out. The future was so uncertain but now was now and now she needed to run.

Fruit roll up finished, Y/N slipped from the island. Absentmindedly tossing her garbage in the trash on her way out. For a moment, she thought she heard… something. Something dull against the roaring in her ears… Nevermind, it wasn’t important.

The door gave no resistance to being opened as she left. The cool night air chilling her skin and raising goosebumps up her arms and legs. Stars hung pretty in the sky, like little light built up there to ward off the dark.

Nice, cold, fresh air. Empty, quiet-but-not-silent streets. The sound of cricket chirping in the distance… Y/N started walking.

Maybe around three blocks later, Y/N realized she forgot to put on her shoes. At that point, Y/N really didn’t care. She wasn’t going back to that house for… well as long as she could.

Y/N began her walk anew.

**-=-=-=-**

Admittedly, smoking out the window in M’lord’s room was not Mutt’s brightest idea. In fact, it was probably one of his worst. M’lord despised the smell of smoke and everything that came with it.

Of course, Mutt felt it was perfectly reasonable to do so. Directly speaking against M’lord was… terrifying. Smoking in his room? At least then he’d be too high to care how scary M’lord could get.

Sadly, Mutt wasn’t that high by the time M’lord had gotten fed up and kicked him out. Though, M’lord lasted longer than usual before snapping. Maybe that Cherry girl was doing good for him. Maybe… who cares?

It was hella embarrassing being tossed out on his ass into the hallway. As much as Mutt fear-  _ respected _ M’lord, he was still like half of Mutt’s height.

...Mutt didn’t feel like going back to his room. It didn’t matter, he was going to get high tonight and M’lord kicking him out wasn’t going to stop him. So, Mutt went to the kitchen. What could he say? He smoked, he got the munchies.

While Mutt didn’t expect to run into… whatever the fuck her names was, orange? Banana? Something like that, the ‘berry sister’ or whatever of Cherry. Whatever her name was, Mutt didn’t like her so Mutt couldn’t care fucking less.

A few words were exchanged but Mutt mostly relished in scaring her and then proceeded to stare at her intently. Now, Mutt didn’t know a lot about what’s-her-name but he did know she was a prissy little bitch who practically couldn’t handle a fucking candle without whining. 

Yet, she didn’t say anything about his smoking? Even Cherry commented on his smoking! Always talking about how fucking ‘unhealthy’ it was and how it would kill him or whatever. With what? Cancer? Skeletons didn’t have any fucking lungs, the morons.

“Fuck you too then.” Mutt called out when whatever-she-was-called left. How rude of her to not say goodbye to him. Well, maybe he could forgive her a bit. The- the- the whatever she was didn’t comment on his smoking.

…

…

Nah, she’s a fucking prissy little bitch.

**-=-=-=-**

Wandering around the quiet but not quiet silent streets was actually really nice. Even if every little rock seemed to be digging into her feet. That’s what Y/N got for forgetting shoes.

Now that Y/N thought about it, what had even freaked her out so much? Where had that weird feeling come from? Did Y/N really even care at this point? Not really. She was still a little confused though.

Y/N stopped for a moment, taking a look around. She was only a few blocks away from the skeleton house. Where did she go now? Y/N only really knew the park, a few shops near the park, and her place of work. Maybe she could explore?

A bad step stabbed her foot against a rock, sending her stumbling with a curse. Yeah, no, no exploring while barefoot. Knowing Y/N, she’d fuck up her feet on a pile of glass while exploring. Then she’d probably bleed out and die again. What fun.

Her work had nice wood floors, maybe she’d just go there? Yeah, that sounded nice. Y/N could even talk to Swirlby or something. AND there was no danger of stepping on glass!

Humming softly to herself, Y/N made her way through the streets. Practically tip-toeing around anything rough-looking. She enjoyed having soles on her feet thank you very much.

  
  


Even at night, Grillby’s still seemed very...homely. Perhaps even more so than during the day. A warm glow coming from the lights within, the sounds of laughter and conversation whispering through the door. Naturally, there was the underscent of alcohol and smoke all bars seemed to carry. But it wasn’t overwhelming… it was almost nice.

The bell rang as Y/N stepped through the door, drowned out by the sounds of people. It wasn’t horrible busy or loud, being a weekday and all, but there was a fair amount of people. Dogs in the very back playing poker, the bunny was back, a couple lizard monsters, one that looked like a horse, and even a few that were fish-like.

Double takes were made as Y/N made her way to the bar, slipping into the seat in front of Swirlby. It was a sort of unspoken rule, one Y/N didn’t know. No one sat in the three seats in front of Swirlby or they would be preemptively thrown out on whatever they had for an ass.

Yet when this inconspicuous human wearing no shoes sat down, nothing happened to her. Firefly took a glance at her, rolled his eyes, and went back to making drink orders. So, yeah, more than a few of the monsters there couldn’t help but stare at her.

“Hey An-, er, Swirlby.” Y/N chirped. The bar stools were really tall, as was the bar. Her toes barely touched the floor when she stretched her feet.

“Hello,” Swirlby muttered with a smile, “What can I get you?” His voice was just hearable over the sound of the bar.

“Oh, I don’t drink. I hate the taste of alcohol,” Which really confused people when she told them she used to be a bartender, “Just wanted to get out of the house and realized too late I forgot my shoes.”

Swirlby paused, leaning over just enough to see Y/N swivel her chair to show her bare feet. Looking back to her, Y/N gave him a guilty smile.

“Yeah, not my greatest idea.” A tight laugh left her, a warmth going to her cheeks as the thick feeling of embarrassment gathered in her chest.

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Y/N turning to people watching to entertain her. It was actually pretty interesting what some people did while drunk.

Y/N was watching as someone downed what she counted as their fifteenth shot when a hand forced her head to the side. Small hairs ticking at her chin, claws digging into her skin and forcing her to stay still.

Bright red eyes stared into her, not just two but five total eyes. Six arms were visible as well, skin light purple in color. One was, of course, on her chin, another holding a book. Two were crossed in front of her chest, the last two with hands on her hips. Or at least, they looked like a she.

They also looked to be far overdressed for this kind of establishment. No insult to Grillby but she looked like she was needed in one of the fancy nightclubs uptown or something. Dark purple tube top, similarly colored high waisted shorts that ended mid thigh, an inch of skin and then stocking leading into high heeled boots. She was wearing a similar jacket to Firefly, but the fur lines the cuff of each sleeve as well.

“So,” Y/N was shook from her observation as the spider started to speak, quickly becoming aware of how intently those eyes were staring into her, “you’re my replacement?” Her voice was high pitched with a wobbly quality like she was constantly trying not to laugh, the amused pitch contrasting her almost disappointed expression.

“Well, I’m the one they hired to do the stuff fire elementals can’t. Really, I’m just a janitor. I hardly cook or make drinks.” Y/N was 90% sure that the spider lady used to cook considering she opened up a… Y/N was pretty sure it was a bakery. Or maybe that was a different spider lady? They’re name started with an M but the place was only used, like, twice so Y/N didn’t bother with specifics.

“And that makes you?” The spider lady questioned, voice clearly meant she to be insulting as she raised an eyebrow. Well, raised one as best as she could when in the place of where her eyebrows should be there was just more eye.

“Poppet, please leave Y/N alone. She’s the first human who managed past Firefly.” Swirlby sighed, as though this conversation happened often. 

Huffing, the spider —Poppet?— snatched her hand back. Y/N rubbed her chin, feeling the light scratches left behind by her hand. Giving Y/N one last look over, Poppet decided to get in the final word.

“I’m not sure why.” Then, looking over dramatic as hell, she turned and left the building. Y/N just stared after her, partly wondering what the hell was up with her. A burning feeling started in her veins, was she angry at Poppet? Yeah, couldn’t pinpoint why. Why should Y/N care how Poppet felt about her.

“Don’t worry about her.” Swirlby set a hand on Y/N’s shoulder briefly, giving her a kind smile. Y/N took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to put off the anger. She’d had a long day, it was probably just that. It had to be.

“I won’t, thanks Andy.” Y/N sighed, giving him a tired smile in return. Funny, how tired she could be when physically she felt she could easily do a mile.

It took a moment before Y/N realized she’d called him ‘Andy’ rather than Swirlby. Rightfully, Swrilby looked confused as to why she’d called him that.

“S-sorry. Just a nickname. You and Grillby have such similar names and we’re friends so I decided to give you a nickname and since you’re like a living galaxy I thought of Andromeda but that’s too long for a nickname and-“ Swirlby was staring at her, “we… we  _ are _ friends? Right?” 

Swirlby stared at her, face not giving anything away. He looked down at his hands, which had paused in their work. Worry replaced anger, had Y/N said something wrong? Swirlby had far been the nicest to her since arriving… were they not friends?

A soft laughter barely reached her ears, whispy and light. Y/N looked up from her hands.

“I’d like that.” Swirlby, no- Andy replied. “However, since you are not ordering, I  _ am _ required to ask you to leave.”

Y/N gave him a cheeky smile, “I know. No shoes, no socks, no service and all that. See you tomorrow Andy.” Or was it just later today? What time even was it?

Deciding not to check, that would just make her feel bad about how late she stayed up, Y/N waved goodbye. Padding out of Grillby’s, she didn’t even notice the incredulous, almost jealous looks the other customers were giving her.

  
  
  


**_*Ping*_ **

**Advancement Made-**

**[You’ve Got A Friend In Me]**

**Make your first friend! Get a character’s Rep over 20 to qualify**

**Rewards: 20 XP, $10, Increased REP gain with first friend, +1 Perk Point**

**Advancement Made-**

**[Stars In My Eyes] -**

**Befriend Swirlby.**

**Rewards: $15, 30 XP, Perk Unlocked [Looking At Me]**

Cool, another perk  _ and _ another point to spend!... Was Andy really first, and only, friend? It made a sad amount of sense. Y/N and Cherry weren’t exactly friends, just like how Peachie and Cherry weren’t really friends. It was more of a User/Victim situation…

Damn, Y/N really should change that. Maybe they could do something together, just the two of them. What did Cherry like? Flowers? No, Y/N didn’t want to make it seem like she was into her like that. Knowing Peachie’s character, that’s exactly how it would be taken.

This was going to be hard, wasn’t it? Most of what Y/N could think of the two of them doing would be taken wrong. Either flirtatiously or manipulative in some way. Maybe they should just do something simple like shopping?

Shopping, Y/N hated shopping. It was a necessary evil but still, evil. Maybe it would feel slightly less evil if she took Cherry with her? Or maybe she could even use it as a way to get closer to someone else so they would hate her less! Maybe… was someone crying?

A soft huff reached her ears, a choked sound like someone was trying to stay quiet. Yeah, someone was crying. Why? Where? Y/N knew she should just go home but…

Curse her bleeding heart, or maybe soul in this case. There was no way she could  _ not _ go see what was wrong. What if they were hurt? What if they had a panic attack or something? Y/N had to see if they were okay!

Following the sound was kind of difficult, especially with Y/N being unfamiliar with these streets. But her senses lead her to an alley way out back of some unfamiliar, infinitely seedier pub. Y/N was out back and she was practically gagging from the scent of alcohol. Or maybe that had something to do with the many broken beer bottles.

Watching her feet, Y/N called out, “Hello, are you ok? I heard someone crying.” Shuffling came from the alley, but no one appeared in the moonlight.

Frowning, Y/N took the risk of fucking up her feet on the glass and walked deeper into the alley. Dirty and musty, Y/N could feel the grime sticking to her as she walked. God, she needed a shower after this.

Looking around, what Y/N found was honestly a little heartbreaking. Z might not actually have been a child, but Y/N could tell that this little human  _ was _ . The child couldn’t have been older than 8.

Dressed in a nice looking overcoat, a black skirt, and flowery rain boots, the child had no clear gender. Dark brown hair was short but just long enough to shadow their face as the little one cried. Their small form shaking with each quiet sob.

Y/N’s heart broke, every small movement of the child tugging at her heartstrings. Whose child was this? Did they get lost? Why were they out so late?

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your parents?” Y/N tried her best to sound as soft and unassuming as possible. It wouldn’t do to frighten the child any more.

Still, when Y/N touched the child’s arm, they flinched. They looked up at Y/N shocked, like they hadn’t heard her. Shaking their head violently, they tried to do  _ something _ with their hands but they were shaking too much.

Sign, that’s what they were trying to do. If they hadn’t heard Y/N… were they deaf? Maybe that just didn’t hear Y/N in their panic but better to be safe than sorry. 

_ ‘I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your parents?’ _

They shook their head, signing messily as they shook.  _ ‘Who are you?’ _

_ ‘My name is Y/N Wyles. Can you tell me what happened?’ _

Pausing, like they were gathering their thoughts, they began again, still shaking.

_ ‘I don’t know. Small uncle had work, big uncle couldn’t watch me. Told me to stay in back and out of the way. Thought I saw something, followed, now I’m lost.’ _

_ ‘What was it you saw?’ _

A shrug,  _ ‘A cat?’ _

Y/N did her best to keep the child talking. It wasn’t a very complex conversation. After Y/N’s initial question, she didn’t ask anything else. Just favorite color, favorite animal, what your favorite movie/book. Simple questions to keep the kid talking.

It had the intended effect of calming down the child. Distracting them from their panic as they told silly stories of one time their ‘small uncle’ his their ‘tall uncles’ usual work outfit which made him go in a ‘bright pink abomination’. Really quite adorable.

_ ‘So where do your Uncles work?’ _

Apparently, the kid lived with their Uncles’ friend, who was her adoptive mother, who was currently busy with work. They all worked at the same place, apparently. Though, the kid never mentioned where they worked.

The kid hesitated just as a voice called out from behind.

“P- ah, Violet! There ya are! Thank asgore, thought Br- Jakobar was gonna kill me” A deep, rumbling voice came from seemingly nowhere, a large shadow taking away what little light the alley actually had.

Perking up suddenly, Violet —what a cute name!— darted past Y/N. Turning, Y/N saw a large figure, maybe six feet tall. He looked either very fit, or maybe fat, and was also a skeleton. So, big in every way was an apt descriptor. 

Dressed in a fine dark blue and black pinstriped shoes, shiny shoes, and was that a fedora? The guy was pretty impressive to look at. He wasn’t the tallest skeleton Y/N had met, but he was definitely the biggest… and the richest-looking.

“You must be the ‘big uncle’ they were talking about, I’m Y/N.” She was fully aware she looked… messy. Clothes that should probably be washed after wearing them two days in a row and cleaning in them, dirt covered hands and feet from kneeling down to Violet’s level. Yeah, a shower was in order before work tomorrow.

“Nah, Ahm small uncle. Thanks for calmin’ em down.” ‘Small Uncle’ didn’t offer his name, Y/N didn’t ask.

“Just keep a better track of your nibling.” The alley wasn’t very big, Y/N doubted she’d be able to walk around him if he didn’t want her leaving. Something dark crawled over her skin, fear. Had she felt more scared before? This was the first time anyone had blocked her in like this, at night, with no one knowing where she was.

“Yeah, okay.” Thankfully, he ended it with that and left. Still, Y/N’s nerves were left frayed by what could have happened. If he did something… would anyone care? Maybe Cherry… Andy would too, hopefully… but Y/N didn’t have any family here.  **_—neveranymore—_ **

There was that dark, oppressive feeling again. The same one that had sent her running for any semblance of safety or familiarity. Well, Y/N couldn’t go back to Grillby’s now. May as well just go home, even if the house she was referring to didn’t feel like one.

Taking one last look at the night sky, Y/N started walking again. To a house that would never feel like a home.

**-=-=-=-**

He wasn’t creepy, he wasn’t! He swears he had a good reason for this. He just wanted to watch the stars… but then he saw  _ her _ . Under the moonlight, she almost looked prettier than the stars! He hadn’t even thought that was possible.

So, yeah, he followed her a bit, wondering why she was out so late. Then the scary guy came and he couldn’t see her anymore! He got so scared, was she hurt? 

The guy left, thank stars. She seemed fine but… well, the night was dangerous! He almost had to step in when the big scary guy came, but he didn’t. He didn’t know why. She could’ve gotten hurt.

Her eyes really were like stars and she looked so small. She could get hurt so easily. But she fended off big scary guy, she didn’t even look scared! That was cool. Not as cool as his brother but still.

Still, it was night. Night time was pretty but dangerous for people like her. Small, weak-looking even if she really wasn’t. So many people would want to hurt her.

That’s why he followed her. No, not ‘stalk’, he wasn’t being creepy about it! He just had to make sure the woman with stars-for-eyes was safe! He just wanted to make sure she would be okay so he followed her to her home. Nothing creepy about that!

It wasn’t creepy. He just didn’t want her to get hurt.

He just had to keep telling himself that.

**-=-=-=-**

**-=-=-=-**

**_What was that smell?_ **

**_It smells… good…_ **

**-=-=-=-**

Y/N fell asleep just fine after such a long day and night. Thank god for that, she didn’t want to stay awake in this world any longer than she had to. So she slept.

Blissfully unaware, that one. Looking so innocent and pure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violet and her Uncles show up after your shift, Reader should...  
> A) Talk to them  
> B) Ignore them  
> C) Make an excuse not to talk to them
> 
> Reader is in need of some bare essentials and decides to ask... to shop with her.  
> A) Cherry (+ REP, Possessiveness, Sanity)  
> B) Blueberry (+ REP, Possessiveness, Sanity) (-REP with ???) (+ Jealousy with ???)  
> C) Blackberry (+ REP, Possessiveness, Sanity) (+ Jealousy with ???)
> 
> They're are a lot of skeleton Reader hasn't talked to yet, she should hang out with...  
> A) Sans (First Floor)  
> B) Pup (Ground Level)  
> C) ??? (Basement)
> 
> (Note: the '???''s are not all the same person)


	7. Getting To Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N learns she's made some... unsavory friends and isn't quite sure what to do about it. At least she had a nice day with Cherry? Well, not for very long but still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another close vote with going to the basement coming out on top. Things are about to get interesting.

Mistakes were made last night. What kind of mistakes? Some kind. Y/N wasn’t sure. She clearly remembered eating a fruit roll up in the kitchen, stealing the box of them, and then… some tall skeleton was there? His name was… M...M… Mutt. Yeah.

Then… then what? Something dark… the rest of the night was blurry. Her feet hurt and her nose kinda burned. She barely remembered talking to Andy, and being happy she could actually call him that.

Wasn’t someone crying? After she left the bar? Maybe? Ah, all of this thinking was making her head hurt. Y/N already felt like shit, no need to make it anything worse. 

Sitting up, the dull throb in her head only seemed to get worse. Going into her morning stretches, and still feeling like an idiot, her head cleared up a tad. Y/N didn’t know what was wrong but she’d been feeling progressively worse her entire time here.

Hopefully, it was just a headache. It can’t get any worse, right? Right. Even if she kind of regretted staying up last night.

_ Violet _ … a name floated through her head as she finished up. Right, that’s who was crying, right? A little child who had been lost. Y/N had found her, calmed her until her uncle came… Yeah, something good did happen last night.

Still feeling pretty bad overall but proud of herself for helping Violet, Y/N phased into the  **Pause** room to clear up a couple notifications on her bracelet. She didn’t really know what a couple of them were for anyway.

There was that new perk from befriending Andy and an advancement that she didn’t know what was for. Y/N decided to check the perk first, and spend that perk point on magic because it was  _ magic _ .

**Looking at Me - Access to [Special] skill tree, 10% CHA gain**

‘Special’ didn’t really mean anything to Y/N, let alone give her any way to tell what it did. At least it had a bonus charisma gain… a lot of them did actually. Probably because it was a romance game. Can’t get a harem of skeleton monsters without looking pretty.

Did this game think she was aiming for a harem? It was what the entire romance game was about. In fact, once all of the main routes were finished you could literally do a play through where you essentially made all of the guys pretty much your slaves with how much they were in love with Cherry.

Y/N never got that far, very few people ever did. But she was an expert at YouTube binging and had seen the route. It was a tad creepy how… would obsessed be the word? Yeah, obsessed with Cherry they seemed. Especially some of the…less than sane seeming characters.

Would having a lot of skeletons servants make life easy for Y/N? Yes. It would actually be pretty nice. At least, theoretically. Y/N doubted she’d ever get them to like her so much. Not to mention treating them like the Cherry of that route did made Y/N feel...icky just thinking of it.

Besides, based on how excitable Cherry was, more so than most of the routes, it was obvious that getting Blueberry or Papyrus to like her enough for that was pretty much impossible. Or at least, those two routes had Cherry acting pretty similar to how Y/N was experiencing. It was sweet.

What was she doing? Right! Magic. Gotta get that basic magic in. It would be very impressive, naturally, but everyone has to start somewhere.

**-[Mana Tree]- Skill Points: 5**

**Magically Inclined (Level 1) - Active (Passive) - Magic flows through your veins like blood, but you can’t manipulate your blood. You can now craft spells using mana. As a passive effect, you have a light aura around you from the magic glowing with in - Level of Skill + ½ Charisma + ½ Wisdom % chance to craft**

No, Y/N definitely wasn’t practically vibrating out of her skin at this new development. Of course not, she was perfectly calm. It wasn’t like her dream of being a mage ever since reading Harry Potter was finally being fulfilled. What gave you that idea?

…

…

Yeah, Y/N is an absolute child and we both know it. Squealing, hopping around, flailing her arms in excitement. She could not wait to try this out! Sadly, the  **Pause** room did let her do things like use magic… or sleep. The next possible opportunity.

“This is going to be so cool.” Y/N whispered to herself leaving the screen. Now, she’d come here for one other thing. It was… a weird black dot that she’d barely noticed if not for the white ‘A’ on it. Probably the advancements. They were the only thing Y/N had that started with an A.

So off she went to her advancements. Y/N didn’t really have many, having not been ‘playing’ the ‘game’ for very long. So it was pretty easy to find the new one and… oh…

**Advancement Made -**

**[Never Alone]**

**It’s always nice to have someone watching your back… or is it? Congratulations! You’ve gained your first stalker!**

**Rewards: +5 CHA, 100% REP Gain with Characters in the [???] Alignment, +1 Perk Point, +10 Skill Points, 100 XP**

Oh...my god… Y/N numbly accepted the rewards and just…  _ stared _ . A stalker… She had a  _ stalker _ . Someone had been following her last night, maybe even following her home.

H-how? None of the monsters she knew would do such a thing. They either hated her or didn’t seem that bad. Andy and the other Grillby workers were busy, couldn’t be them. Mutt was the only one at the skeleton house awake… Did Y/N know anyone else?

Violet? But her uncle wouldn’t do that...right? Maybe, maybe it was just Z looking out for her. That made sense. Y/N kept him fed so he was making sure that she wasn’t getting hurt… that made sense… It also explained the danger rating a bit.

**_-whatifitisn’thim?-_ ** Y/N closed out the  **Pause** screen. Wait, she’d meant to check the reputation screen… But she didn’t want to face that advancement again… Later, she’d do it later.

Just needing to get the advancement off her mind, Y/N turned to her pitiful clothing selection. Really, she only had her pants and green cold-shoulder top left. So, laundry was something she would have to do today… and shopping. Yeah, shopping was a must. She’d go with someone after work, just to show her around.

Sure, Y/N could go shopping by herself but her entire goal here was making people like her enough to survive until she could move out. Might as well make it so she had not a single moment to herself. Besides, that meant she wouldn’t be alone with her…

You know what? It’s time for work! Yep, time for work. Need to get going and head out and  _ not _ think about that. Maybe if Y/N just ignored it, they’d get bored and go away.

At least she could use her magic now, Y/N figured. Even if her chance of actually making a spell was pitifully low. At least it explained why the  **[Mana]** tree just had the one skill in it. She was supposed to make the rest.

The sky’s the limit, which is horrible advice for an astronaut. Y/N was hardly an astronaut though. If she was, her life before this mess would’ve been so different that, hopefully, she would’ve never gotten here.

Making her way down the ladder and down the stairs, Y/N prayed that no one would be awake, as seemed to the usual. She made it all the way down the stairs and was halfway out the door when she realized she could never be that lucky.

“And where are you going?” The question sounded innocent, but dripped thickly with sarcasm like honey. It didn’t seem like the question was meant to be sarcastic, more accusatory. It seemed to be just what the guy’s voice sounded like.

Looking around, Y/N spotted a tall skeleton leaning out one of the second story windows. He looked kinda like Mutt but without any of the scars, or at least if he had any Y/N couldn’t see them with the distance. Being obscured from the waist down by the window, only a frayed-ish looking orange hoodie could be seen. Somehow, his eye sockets looked half-lidded even from a distance.

“Work?” Y/N responded, though it almost sounded like a question. Did they not know she had a job? No, Cherry didn’t even know. It wasn’t in Peachie’s character to lift a finger in her life either. Yeah, slightly less insulted now.

“ _ You _ work?” He didn’t sound like he believed her. Made sense, Y/N wouldn’t believe Peachie if she said that either. Still, Y/N was busy and needed to get to work.

“Yes. At Grillby’s. I  _ can _ take care of myself. I’m an  _ adult _ and I  _ don’t _ have time for this or I’m going to be late. Have a good day.” That… came out more clipped than Y/N was meaning for it to sound. Why was she so bad at this?

The skeleton huffed, probably rolling his eyes though Y/N couldn’t see from so far away. Turning, Y/N marched away. God, that was awkward. Why did he have to call her out like that? It was just rude, if understandable for the real Peachie.

Still, Y/N knew she was going to have to get used to it. At least until she could prove that she wasn’t the same Peachie they had heard so much about. Starting with Cherry, though that was after work. Gotta focus on the now.

**-=-=-=-**

The brat didn’t go out early yesterday. Honey almost didn’t expect her to go out today either. Of course, she ended up going out anyway. Once more, Honey took an early morning smoke.

How the hell did she have the gall to meet up with other guys early in the morning while piggybacking off of Cherry Blossom’s generosity. What kind of person was she?

Oh, and Y/N was claiming she was going to ‘Work’. Is that what she called going out and seducing any guy she lays her eyes on? Of course she did.

No, she did not just claim she worked at Grillby’s. Sans was going to have a fucking fit when Honey told him. There was no way she worked there. Grillby would not hire some lazy bitch like Y/N. He just wouldn’t.

A bitch and a liar. Yeah, that summed up Y/N pretty solidly. Toss in ‘manipulative’ and you have the package deal.

A shiver worked its way down his spine, a sharpness to the air. It felt… almost cold. Where… where was this feeling coming from. It couldn’t be Y/N, it just couldn’t be. She was a lost of things but she was…  _ this _ .

Whatever  _ this _ was. Yet, as she left for ‘work’, the feeling left with for. It left his soul pounding in his sternum, mind confused. 

What was  _ that _ ?

**-=-=-=-**

Andy was here today, that was interesting. Y/N hadn’t expected him to be there, her shift ended as his began. Did he show up to talk with her or something?

It wasn’t like Y/N was complaining but Grillby’s was a bar. How late did Andy stay up working? Then he woke up early just to go to the bar and… talk with Y/N? His poor sleep schedule. It was ruined.

Oh well, it was nice to have someone to talk to while working. It certainly made time go by a lot faster. Firefly was at the bar today either, at least not that Y/N could see.

Not to mention Andy had a key to the office, which meant she could clean the office. He claimed that she would have her own key eventually. Y/N… wasn’t so sure about that.

While getting to work in the office while she could  _ was _ tempting, the kitchen needed her attention more. They made  _ food _ there. Health and safety regulations would balk at the state of the kitchen before she put her back into working on it.

Scrubbing every inch of the floor, wiping every counter, putting enough elbow grease into the dishes her hands hurt. Hell, she even went and organized the disorganized mess that was their food supplies. Everything that could be done to clean a kitchen, Y/N did.

Her hands were twitching, her back aching from leaning over, and she was sweating from the amount of effort she put in but she was  _ proud _ . She’d taken the kitchen from a dirty, disgusting mess and turned it into something actually decent.

Now, was the kitchen spotless? No, not unless she did some overtime to go over everything again. But it was a lot better than it used to be, where only the stove seemed to be cleaned. Not to mention, the dishes weren’t piled all over the counter!

Even Andy looked impressed with what she’d managed, and that was always a good thing. Or at least, Y/N had yet to see a point where it was a bad thing.

On the downside, Y/N felt grimy from the sweat. A little bit in the employee bathroom left her feeling a little less disgusting but still. She needed some more clothes, her own bathing supplies, and just bathroom supplies in general as soon as possible. And that backpack, never forget the backpack.

“Good work.” Andy muttered as Y/N made her way through the main room, stretching her arms until her back cracked. 

“Thanks Andy, you did good too!” Y/N sighed, feeling the rush of relief that came from popping her back. Yeah, today was a good day.

“But I didn’t do anything…?” The poor guy sounded confused. It was almost funny.

“You kept me company. It helped, trust me.” Y/N twisted to give him a smile as she walked out the door, “See you tomorrow!”

Y/N turned back to see the daily quest completed, feeling proud.

  
  


**Daily Quest Complete-**

**[Work it Girl!]**

**You wanted a job? You got a job. Complete tasks for your paycheck.**

**Tasks Completed - [21/25]**

**Rewards: 50 XP, $70**

Sweet! If Y/N was remembering right, which she hoped she was, that was a level up too. Yeah, today was going to be a good day, she could just feel it.

Of course, with her attention on the quest, Y/N wasn’t exactly paying the most attention to what was in front of her. That is, until she ran into someone. A very tall someone that sent her stumbling back as it was like running into a brick wall.

Backing up, Y/N found herself looking up and up and up at what was easily the tallest skeleton —monster in general, really— that she had ever met. He was easily over 6’6, though his exact height was hard to guess off of a look.

A small pocket-marked scar dipped right on one of his cheekbones, looking almost like an eternal scratch that got angry at him. His bones, that she could see, looked impeccable otherwise, even more so than Blueberry and Y/N was pretty sure he was a perfectionist for everything but his tacos.

He looked to have been going somewhere, dressed in a fine pressed white button up with the sleeves rolled up about ¾ of the way. A leather belt kept his low waisted black slacks, and they were some expensive looking slacks, from falling off of his hips. His black shoes shone in the light. Wherever this guy was going, it was important.

An orange-y cream cardigan was tied around his neck in an attempt to look casual. Considering Y/N could practically smell the money coming off of him, it wasn’t working.

“S-sorry.” Y/N stuttered out, feeling a tad intimidated just by his pure height if nothing else. Her eyes dragged from his to the smaller, but still massive, and almost familiar looking skeleton.

The smaller one, who was still easily over 6 feet, was wearing a black sweater half tucked into equally expensive looking slacks, to rest of the sweat hanging out like he was too lazy to finish the job. The smaller ones’ shoes were also untied.

“ARE YOU Y/N WYLES?” The taller of the two massive skeletons asked. Y/N startled, barely noticeable but she had a feeling they took note. God, she wasn’t expecting him to be that  _ loud _ .

“Yep… and you are?” Y/N held her hand out to shake. The skeleton took her hand tight enough to cut off blood flow. Y/N returned it as tight as she could but damn did it make her feel weak. Maybe working out more than once a week was in order. She could do it after dinner or something.

“JAKOBAR. I’M SURE YOU KNOW BUZ.” Jakobar nodded his skull towards the smaller of the two.

Know Buz?... Buz… Buzzzz…Oh! Buz! He was Violet’s small uncle. Well, at least that name made sense now. Compared to Jakobar, everyone probably seemed small.

“Yes! I do. You must be Violet’s ‘tall uncle’ then, right? It’s nice to meet you.” Y/N took her hand back, resisting the urge to rub it as it throbbed dully. Hopefully, Jakobar hadn’t broken his hand.

“THAT I AM.” Jakobar smiled down at her. Maybe Y/N was just too used to the skeleton house but… something about it didn’t seem friendly. It set her off, feeling cold. Like it didn’t reach his eyes except, well, he didn’t  _ have _ eyes.

“Jus’ came ta say ‘hi’ kid. Violet’s been talkin’ up a storm ‘bout ya. Really givin’ off all da good  _ signs _ .” Buz winked at Y/N.

A surprised snort left Y/N at the sudden pun. It wasn’t very good but it caught her off guard. When was the last time someone had joked with her?

“Really? That’s good. They're such a nice kid.” Something about the conversation felt stiff. Just like Jakobar’s smile.

“‘Course my nibling is such a nice kid, there ain’t no one better.” Buzz bragged, puffing out his practically nonexistent chest. It was weird, how was he so big if he was just bones? If he was tall and thin like Jakobar, it would make more sense. But he wasn’t.  _ How? _

“WE DON’T MEAN TO TAKE YOUR TIME. I JUST WANTED TO MEET THE ONE WHO FOUND OUR HUMAN. PERHAPS WE CAN CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION AWAY FROM YOUR WORKPLACE?” Jakobar spoke peppily. Bouncing on his heels in a cute little hop. It would work better if he wasn’t so tall but damn if it wasn’t still adorable.

Wait a minute, how did they know where she worked? Y/N hadn’t mentioned that to Buz and the alley she’d found Violet was nowhere near Grillby’s. No, she was just thinking into it too much. It was just a nice coincidence that they ran into each other.

“I-“  **_—DON’T—_ ** “I’ll have to take you up on that later, I urgently need to get some shopping done. Tell Violet I said hi and that I’d love to see her again.” Y/N smiled, feeling cold. Every muscle pulled tight.

Then, she walked around them, dipping into the street, and left. An odd feeling poking into her back. Turning her back on them felt bad but there was something telling her it wasn’t like Y/N was going to be attacked for it.

God, that was strange. Violet seemed lovely, that was true, but her folks? They were weird. It felt mean to say but, still, weird.

Another ping came from her bracelet. Odd, was it for the level up? Probably. Might as well accept that and, oh there were two. Already here so why not.

**Advancement Made-**

**[Family Friend]**

**Befriend a Mafia Member. Member: ??? (Violet)**

**Rewards: $100, 100XP, 5 CHA, Perk [One, Two, Fire] , 50 Skill Points, 2 Perk Points**

...Was everything in the world out to get her? First a stalker and now the mob? No, no,  _ Violet _ was a part of the  _ mob _ ? Okay, now Y/N  _ had _ to look at her reputation screen. How much more about these guys was she missing out on?

Dipping into the  **Pause** screen, Y/N made a beeline for the reputation screen. When was the last time she had actually taken a look at this? Sometime after she’d met Grillby, surely.

There were more people listed than Y/N expected, but not nearly enough to make her think she had all of the characters she needed to look out for. God, Y/N didn’t even have all of the main route characters listed and she  _ lived _ with them.

**Name: Delilah “Cherry” Mcgoven**

**Universe: Protagonist of Looking Through Me**

**HP: 300**

**Reputation: 80**

**Trust: 70**

**Possessiveness: 0**

**Jealousy: -50**

**Danger Levels: 10**

**Sanity: 80**

**Height: 5'2**

**The best friend of the villainess. After the villainess backstabs her several times, she backs away, eventually leading to the death of the villainess from skeleton monster lovers. A very sweet girl with a brave soul.**

**Name: Papyrus Serif**

**Universe: UnderTale Papyrus**

**HP: 480**

**Reputation: -50**

**Trust: -50**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 20**

**Sanity: 85**

**Height: 6' 2**

**A hyperactive, excitable skeleton. Does he even sleep? Probably not. The exact opposite of his brother in every way. Does that make Papyrus a dog? Probably not, he's a skeleton! Dogs are their mortal enemies... probably. A puzzle maker for Avon Inc.**

**Name: Blueberry Tiparo**

**Universe: Underswap**

**HP: 300**

**Reputation: -30**

**Trust: -20**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 50**

**Sanity: 65**

**Height: 5’ 8**

**A sweet, hyperactive skeleton who loves sweets but isn’t allowed them. A sugar rush from him is your worst nightmare. Well, second worst nightmare. There’s always something worse. Works Cafeteria at Avon Inc. and helps security when need be.**

**Name: Edge Pismo**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 600**

**Reputation: -45**

**Trust: -80**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 55**

**Height: 6’ 5”**

**Tall and angry, snaps at everything and has an inflated sense of self. Really he worries too much, always wanting his loved ones to be safe, even if he shows his Reputation questionably. Hates not having something to do. Security at Avon Inc.**

**Name: Razzberry Caractere**

**Universe: Fellswap**

**HP: 380**

**Reputation: -50**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 55**

**Sanity: 45**

**Height: 5’2**

**Thinks himself royalty and may as well be by how he treats others. Talks down to everyone, never gives the time of day, yet deep deep down he may actually care. Maybe. Very far down. Head Of Security at Avon Inc.**

  
  


**Name: Mutt Caractere**

**Universe: Fellswap**

**HP: 5**

**Reputation: -45**

**Trust: -90**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 40**

**Height: 6’4**

**Treated as a dog by M’lord and may as well be one by how he acts. Can be quite a sweetheart and is basically the second best cuddler known to man because of his fluff. Be careful, he bites. Security at Avon Inc.**

**Name: Blackberry Burim**

**Universe: Swapfell**

**HP: 400**

**Reputation: -30**

**Trust: -80**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 55**

**Sanity: 50**

**Height: 5’ 0**

**While on the surface he may seem just like Razz, he’s quite different. Genuinely cares for others, even if he often has issues showing it. Can be stuck up and still has a holier-than-thou attitude but to a much lesser extent. Don’t underestimate him. Security at Avon Inc.**

**Name: Z ! &*#@**

**Universe: Newtale**

**HP: ???**

**Reputation: 25**

**Trust: -80**

**Possessiveness: 30**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 80**

**Sanity: 10**

**Height: 5’0**

**Looks short, cute, and harmless. Keeps to himself, rarely speaks. Pretty much a street rat always seeming to be going somewhere. He may look harmless but have no doubt, nothing is more dangerous than a cornered animal with nothing left to lose.**

**Name: Grillby**

**Universe: Undertale**

**HP: 800**

**Reputation: 5**

**Trust: -10**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 10**

**Sanity: 90**

**Height: 5’8**

**A quiet man of fire always willing to lend a proverbial ear. With a soft touch he can calm anyone despite being made of fire. Owns Grillby’s**

  
  


**Name: Swirlby (Andy) ***

**Universe: Outertale**

**HP: 750**

**Reputation: 25**

**Trust: -15**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 12**

**Sanity: 95**

**Height: 5’6**

**Also made of a fire-like substance in the way it curls in the air but seems to be made of stars. Often seems less like a bartender and more like an attraction that lures in customers and drunkards to spend money so they can stare at the pretty bartender. Bartender at Grillby’s but mostly just stands there cleaning cups.**

  
  


**Name: Firefly**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 950**

**Reputation: -30**

**Trust: -90**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 32**

**Sanity: 73**

**Height: 5’11**

**A quiet, angry looking purple fire elemental. Makes the best drinks of the three sans Grillby’s specials yet few want to talk to him. Always seems to be keeping secrets. Hates talking to others. Bartender, and Cook at Grillby’s. Don’t ask him to wash the dishes.**

**Name: Poppet**

**Universe: Swapfell**

**HP: 1250**

**Reputation: -40**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 50**

**Sanity: 40**

**Height: 6’1”**

**Butch lesbian. Angry and bitter but over what who knows. Cooks the food at Grillby’s, likely the only reason the food doesn’t give anyone food poisoning. Good luck getting her to talk.**

**Name: ??? (Jakobar)**

**Universe: Mafiatale Papyrus**

**HP: 1500**

**Reputation: 2**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 90**

**Sanity: 36**

**Height: 6’9**

**Don’t listen to him**

  
  


**Name: ??? (Buz)**

**Universe: Mafiatale Sans**

**HP: 1**

**Reputation: 5**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 90**

**Sanity: 42**

**Height: 6’1**

**Don’t follow him**

**Name: ??? (Violet)**

**Universe: Mafiatale Frisk**

**HP: 20**

**Reputation: 30**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 50**

**Height: 5’2**

**A small child, easily frightened and very shy. An introvert who doesn’t like new people. Is very strong and fast regardless. Often used to lure targets. ??? (Jakobar) and ??? (Buz) are very overprotective of her.**

Oh, well, damn. That was the mob. Right in plan writing. Oh god, oh geez. Was she just one choice away from death? Sure felt like it. Lure her somewhere else and shoot Y/N dead in an alley or something.

Ah fuck, well… guess it was too late to back out of that one. Y/N had already agreed to see Violet again. If she ignores Violet and hurt their feelings… well that felt just like another way to die.

But getting involved with the mob seemed like the  _ last _ thing she wanted to do! Why did this all have to be so hard? Why couldn’t things just be simple here? Why was Y/N never that lucky?

She needed a distraction, immediately. Y/N left the pause room and continued walking. Taking out her phone, Y/N dialed the only number she had. Cherry —or Delilah apparently— picked up at the second ring.

“PEACHIE!” Y/N jerked the receiver from her ear. God, why was everyone she knew so  _ loud _ . They were going to turn her deaf at the rate.

“Hey Cherry, are you busy?” There was some shuffling from the other end. Other voices muffled and too far away to be heard.

“Yeah, I’m good. You need something?” Cherry seemed to deflate, like she expected Y/N to ask her for something wildly inappropriate. Like to give her her car or something.

“I realized my wardrobe of two outfits is… less than adequate. Not to mention I don’t have a toothbrush or anything either. So what I’m trying to say is, wanna go shopping?” Silence from the other side.

A loud squeal sent a ringing through Y/N’s ears, causing her to reflexively nearly throw the phone. Thank god Y/N didn’t. That’s the one thing she has that she  _ can’t _ replace.

“Would I! I’ll meet you at the mall!... You do know where that is?” There was more movement, a quiet argument. The sound of someone being hit by a pillow.

“Yep. Meet you there Cherry pie!” Y/N hung up before anymore damage could be done to her ears. Sighing, a smile spread across her face. At least  _ someone _ liked her.

Well, not  _ her _ . Cherry only really knows the original Peachie, not Y/N. Still, it was easier to work with than, well, literally everyone else. At least Cherry didn’t hate her.

Thankfully, Y/N knew where the mall was. Or at least, she had the vague idea where the mall was. It wouldn’t take long to get there.

  
  


Mall is a bit much to call it. When Y/N thought of ‘mall’, it was a large building with several floors and dozens of different shops. It wasn’t that kind of mall. Rather, it was a strip mall.

A single floor, a few of the areas to set up shop were still for sale. There was an off-brand bath and body works, a shoe store, a video game store, a couple of clothing stores, a jewelers’, and a store selling Knick Knacks named 'Nick Nacks’ all leading towards an off-brand Target, same bullseye logo and everything.

Cherry was already waiting outside but the time Y/N arrived at the building. There were a few restaurants and an ice cream shop visible along the outside of the building.

“Peachie!” Cherry bulldozed into Y/N, her rib-crushing hug feeling not nearly as bad as the first time. This time, Y/N even still had the time to move her arms so they weren’t pinned to her sides.

“Cherry!” Y/N mimicked her tone with a smile, hugging back. Her hug wasn’t nearly as tight. Not because of a lack of ability, but rather just because she didn’t want to hurt Cherry.

“Come one, let’s go in. Maybe we can even have lunch after if we can afford it.” Y/N teased. Cherry paused, like she hadn’t expected the hug or Y/N being nice or basically anything that had just happened.

“Okay! I can pay for lunch if you can’t.” Backing off, Cherry bounced on her heels, just like Jakobar did before. Her’s didn’t feel like she was… Y/N didn’t know, lying? Something like that.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I’m sure if I budge-“ “Nope! I’m paying for lunch. You don’t get a say in it. Sorry Peachie!” Cherry interrupted her. Hand on hip, wagging a finger in a ‘nuh uh’ manner. 

Smiling, and actually feeling a tad lighter than before, Y/N grabbed Cherry’s hand. “We’ll never get to lunch if we don’t start shopping.”

The inside of the mall was pretty standard. Shops open towards one long hall stretching down the length of the mall. White linoleum floors with random blue squares laid at random on the ground. A few stalls with stuffed animals and phone cases and the like were laid down the middle of the wide hallway.

The two decided to start at Target, get the necessities, and work their way back getting little things if they felt like it. It was weirdly quiet between the two of them as they made their way down towards ‘Bullseye’, the off-brand target.

“When was the last time we got to hang out like this?” Y/N spoke up suddenly, not able to handle the silence from a usually quite loud person. It was also an actual question.

As far as Y/N remembered, which she remembered most about Cherry quite well having played her, the two hadn’t so much as spoken a word to each other for quite a few _ months _ before the game.

“I...i don’t know actually.” A soft voice from Cherry was unusual, like she didn’t want to speak too loud in fear of…  _ something _ .

“A while then. I’ve gotta admit… I’ve missed being able to go out with you.” Lie, absolute lie. It was impossible to miss hanging out with Cherry if they’ve never hung out before. It was true for Peachie. Then again, Peachie probably considered the months apart a ‘vacation’.

“R-Really?!” Cherry squeaked, probably louder than she intended. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth. So she likely hadn’t meant to say anything at all.

“Of course,” Y/N scoffed, “You’re my best friend.” Did she feel bad for lying like this? A little. Y/N felt bad for pretending to be Peachie, at least near someone who liked her. But Y/N was hoping that, eventually, they’d become actual friends.

Silence. Cherry didn’t say anything. Concerned, Y/N glanced at her. Cherry was just staring at her with those big, green eyes, tears pricking the corners of them. Disbelieving, a shuddering breath leaving her.

“Peachie!” Y/N was struck by something that she could only consider a  _ glomp _ . Something of which Y/N was embarrassed she even knew what was. Oh well, too late. At least she didn’t fall over. It was a close thing, but she didn’t fall.

Bullseye was literally a carbon copy of just about any given Target. Overall, same white and red design, same product selection, same cheap-ish prices if you knew where to look.

Given Y/N’s small budget, they stuck to the bare necessities. A four pack of bras for $20, a five of underwear for $12. Two shirts, totaling about $16, and a pair of shorts costing $5. She also got an actual pair of pajamas and some basic hygiene. Oh, and that backpack she was looking for.

Overall, the visit to Not-Target cost Y/N about $96. Y/N had expected it to be higher but most of the stuff were nice finds from the bargain rack anyway. A few loose threads and a tiny hole she could easily fix with the sewing kit Y/N was pretty sure was somewhere in her attic.

The backpack was a nice material, a nice soft gray color with flowers imprinted on it, and had loads of space in it despite looking small and fashionable. The main cause for the space? Once Y/N bought it, she could use it to access her inventory.

All the clothes she bought went straight into the backpack, leaving Cherry flabbergasted on how she managed that. In reply, Y/N just went ‘ _ When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Orange Juice And Leave Life To Wonder How The Fuck You Managed That.’ _

Cherry had found that amusing and, thankfully, didn’t question the logistics of it. Then again, they lived with magical skeletons. A bag holding more than it reasonably should wasn’t very special.

Meandering through the rest of the mall, Y/N resisted buying much else for herself. She did buy a pair of running shoes for working out but otherwise, she held back. Her funds were already limited.

On the other hand, Cherry didn’t have nearly as much restraint. Then again, Cherry was rich. Buying both of them chocolates and a bunch of pretty looking bobbles and jewelry that she thought looked nice. She offered to buy something for Y/N too, but was rejected. After all, Cherry had already given Y/N so much.

That in of itself seemed to surprise Cherry, but in a good way it looked. Then they came across Nick’s Knacks. Cherry could resist looking inside and Y/N was drawn in too. 

It was a cute little store. Soft carpets of varying color and style between them and the floor. Cream walls covered in all sorts of things claiming to be handmade. Belts, carpets, pictures, jewelry, clothing, snow globes, or whatever else. Even pottery could be found, not necessarily good but charming. Just generally everything you can make yourself.

Splitting up as soon as they entered, the two were drawn to different sides of the shop. Y/N wandered between the small isles, the entire store cluttered. Some of the beads were pretty neat but Y/N didn’t really feel like buying anything.

Well, that was until she found two bracelets, pretty much identical. Both were made from thread with wooden beads. One was red, the other was green. They were charming, cute, and the beads were inscribed with all sorts of symbols Y/N didn’t really recognize.

$18 for the two of them. A bit higher than she’d usually pay for jewelry. Then again, Y/N never really owned jewelry. Peachie had tons but Y/N? Not the type. Really, just pierced ears that rarely had actual earring in them and the occasional necklace.

Either way, they seemed… special. Y/N wasn’t sure why but something about them was almost familiar. She had to buy them. She didn’t know why, but she had to.

After buying the bracelets, Y/N waited outside of the store, holding them. It took about ten minutes for Cherry to bound her way out, seeming even more excited than she was when she entered.

“Peachie! Guess what!” Y/N looked up from her phone at that, seeing Cherry holding a nice leather case of… wait was that?

“What?” Y/N asked, her voice sounding far away from her own ears.

Cherry set the case down, opening it to reveal a nice, if aged, looking guitar. It was obviously handmade but it was definitely well made. A nice dark wood with a glossy finish. It looked pretty expensive. Slowly, Cherry’s words registered.

“I know you don’t play anymore but I really wanted to get you something and I thought you’d like this because you were amazing at the guitar so I figured you’d like this handmade one because it’s one of a kind just like you are.” Cherry babbled.

“I love it.” Y/ N interrupted, kneeling to grab the guitar. A nice, if currently off-tune strum came from it. “Thank you so much.”

When was the last time she was able to indulge in playing? Y/N couldn’t really afford nice things like this in her last life.

“Oh, I got you something too.” Y/N packed up the guitar, swinging the strap gently over her shoulder. Reaching into her ‘pocket’, Y/N took out the red bracelet.

“Here, a token to us.” Y/N smiled, showing Cherry her matching green bracelet. 

Cherry stared at her, silent. Then, she started crying, cheeks flushed and breath stuttering. Her shoulder shaking in quiet sniffles.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” While Y/N didn’t feel justified for damn near panicking at Cherry crying, she felt like it was needed. Did she hurt Cherry’s feelings? The skeletons would  _ kill _ her if she did.

“No, no,” Cherry’s voice wavered, “I’m just… happy.” Cherry hugged Y/N again, this was softer than before. And Y/N? She hugged back… no, she wasn’t crying. What are you talking about?

Okay… maybe Y/N did cry… just this once… but don’t tell anyone, okay?

**-=-=-=-**

Cherry did know what she was expecting when Peachie asked her to go to the mall. Actually, she knew exactly what she was expecting. It was the exact same thing every time.

First, Cherry would accept to go because Peachie was her only friend and Cherry didn’t want to lose her. Then, Peachie would buy every expensive and gaudy thing she saw, making Cherry pay for all of it as ‘a gift to me’. Cherry would bend because, as others said, she was ‘too nice’. Whatever that meant.

So, while Cherry wasn’t proud of the dark pooling of dread curling in her chest, it was justified. Even if Cherry wanted to believe otherwise.

They hadn’t seen each other in six months! Half a year! Maybe Peachie was different now. Maybe things would be different this time… If only Cherry could believe herself.

She tried her best to act natural, excited. Peachie didn’t seem to suspect a thing either. That was good. Cherry wouldn’t be able to handle Peachie telling her she didn’t care about her to her face.

Yet… things didn’t go like that? Peachie only bought the necessities, got things from the bargain bin,  _ rejected _ Cherry buying things for her. Except for the chocolate but who could resist chocolate.

It left a bad taste in her mouth. Spiders crawling under her skin in anticipation for the other shoe to drop. Except… the other shoe never did. If possible, it made the anxiety worse.

The guitar was a lucky find. Practically calling to Cherry’s desperation to get  _ something _ to keep Peachie close, even if Peachie wasn’t asking for it. That’s just not how it worked! Peachie made demands, Cherry supplied,

Cherry even held her breath, not wanting to break the weird spell over Peachie as she presented the gift, praying that maybe Peachie had actually… changed?

But… Peachie thanked her for the guitar and… offered her a friendship bracelet. The same bracelet that looked nearly exactly like the ones they had as kids… the one that Peachie had rejected saying ‘We don’t need some stupid strings to show we’re friends.’ Which Cherry felt, but didn’t want to believe, meant they weren’t actually friends.

Did Cherry mean to start crying? No… But she did anyway, hugging Peachie…

She didn’t expect Peachie to hug back.

Maybe… just maybe… Peachie had actually changed? For the better? Maybe… maybe there was hope after all.

**-=-=-=-**

The two split off after getting back to the house, chatting and laughing the whole way. It was like a weight was lifted off the two, leaving them lighter and brighter than before.

Cherry went… well Y/N wasn’t sure but Y/N went to ‘put her stuff away’ in her room. Really, she just escaped up there to put the guitar in her inventory and set the bag down on her bed.

Laying back, Y/N stared at her ceiling, feeling relaxed. It didn’t last very long. In the silence, all her thoughts came back to her.

The stalker, the mafia, the dozen skeletons she lived with that were perfectly willing to kill her with any excuse. It was… a lot. She couldn’t stay here, not now.

Y/N sat up, maybe she should get to know some of the other skeletons. If they liked her, they wouldn’t end up being the reason she ‘mysteriously disappeared’. But where?

She could just wait in the living room for someone to talk to but… well, when she got down there, the door to the basement caught her eye. The door was located under the stairs and was relatively small.

What was down there? The game never showed, Cherry never went. Supposedly, someone lived down there but Y/N was never sure who. It… wouldn’t hurt to go look, would it? No, of course not.

The door was unlocked, the stairs dark and dingy with a single lightbulb hanging to illuminate them. The ceiling raised after the first couple of steps. All in all, it felt like a creepy murder basement.

Cold, dark, a musty taste in the air. At the bottom of the stairs, pure darkness stretched out in front of her. It was… scary. But Y/N wasn’t one to be intimidated… well, she was but she wasn’t one to let intimidation stop her.

Y/N stepped into the dark, searching for a light switch. Then, because of course she did, she tripped over something, tumbling into… a body.

A bright red eye looked down at her, illuminating a skeletal face with a large gapping hole in it. A deep, growling, feral voice came from the dark, No, from the skeleton in front of her. Trapping her in place with what felt like fear itself.

“Who. Are. You.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The basement dwellers are terrifying, Reader should act... around them.  
> A) Cold  
> B) Cautious  
> C) Flirty
> 
> Firefly confronts Reader at work about her visitors from the other day, Reader should...  
> A) Tell the Truth  
> B) Lie  
> C) Change the Subject
> 
> Time to get to know some other skeletons, Reader should spend time with...  
> A) Blueberry  
> B) Stretch  
> C) Blackberry


	8. Finally, Some Good Fucking Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in four, nearly five, days, Reader gets to eat some honestly good food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me During This Entire Chapter:  
> *Writes loud character like Blackberry*  
> *Realizes that there was a mistake in the last line*  
> *Goes back to fix it*  
> *Forgets to turn off caps lock*  
> "From the too-loud CottON BECAUSE OW HER"  
> *God damnit not again*
> 
> (Oh and I'm going to include the # of perk points and perk list at the end of that so y'all can pick which ones you guys think we should get.)

Y/N straightened her shoulders and would’ve attempted to make herself taller if not for the fact she knew people looked stupid doing that. Unknown to Y/N, doing so activated her **[Intimidation]** skill. Even if it was just tensing up nervously, freezing her face.

“What. Do. You. Want.” He growled again, attempting to stand over Y/N. He was taller but not that tall. Even if the sharp teeth, massive hole in his skull, and glowing red eye were kind of intimidating.

“Right now? To turn on the light.” That came off colder than expected. Too late for that, it’s already been said. It even caused the scary guy to take a step back. That was probably just because he was going to turn on the light though.

While maneuvering in the dark was not one of her best skills, in this life or the last, Y/N was sure that she could mana-

“S-HICKORY, ARE YOU PLOTTING IN THE DARK AGAIN.” The lights flickered on, Y/N flinched. Both from the noise and the sudden onslaught of light.

“YOU NEED TO STOP DOING THIS. YOUR LAZY ENOUGH AS IS, TURN ON THE LIGHT.” If Y/N thought Jakobar was tall, this skeleton blew him out of the water.

Standing head and shoulders over Jakobar at least, this skeleton  _ had _ to be seven feet tall. It really didn’t look good for him, the height, as it seemed the size of the room stopped him from standing up comfortably. His shoulder hunched and head lowered, the door must’ve been a nightmare.

He wasn’t dressed very well, it was probably hard to find something the right size for someone that tall and thin without having it custom made. His shirt was one of those cheap things, cotton ones you could buy five for five online. The edges frayed and with some questionable red spots dotted the front and the thing didn’t even go all the way down on him, leaving some of his spine exposed but not intentionally. His shorts fit pretty well, but they probably weren’t meant to be a couple inches shy of booty shorts on him.

It kind of tugged at her heartstrings to see someone so poorly dressed in such a fine place. Y/N  _ knew _ Cherry would pay for him to get custom fit clothes if he asked, why hadn’t she…

Glancing at the smaller one, Y/N immediately knew the answer. He was obviously overprotective of his brother and didn’t look like the type to take handouts. His own clothes weren’t of much better quality than his brother’s but at least they seemed to fit better. Ouch.

“OH, YOU’RE A HUMAN” The tall skeleton squatted down in front of Y/N to get to be eye to eye with her, obviously not having noticed that Y/N hadn’t been paying attention. Whoops.

“I… am. Y/N Wyles, you are?” Y/N was damn proud of herself for her voice not cracking as she responded. The tall skeletons face being so close to her so suddenly was startling. Not to mention the crooked, stained teeth and the squint to his eyes making it look almost like he was glaring at her.

“I AM THE AMAZING AND LOVABLE COTTON! IT’S SO GREAT TO MEET YOU! WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR DINNER?” Cotton’s volume control really was nonexistent, huh? Well, Y/N’s ears were already strained from listening to Cherry over the phone, what’s the worst that could happen.

“Yeah, join us  _ for _ dinner.” The smaller one chuckled darkly. Y/N didn’t know what was so funny but you know what? Didn’t really feel like finding out. It felt like that would be bad for her… health… if not sanity.

“Sure, why not.” Damn, she really was sounding aloof today, huh? Well, that can’t be true, she felt she was pretty damn warm earlier. What changed? Right, giant basement skeletons covered in questionable stains.

“YAY! WE’RE HAVING SPAGHETTI!” Cotton stood up suddenly, almost hopping from the force of it. His long ass legs carried him out of the room in only a few steps.

Speaking of the room, it wasn’t nearly as much of a questionable possibly-a-torture-dungeon feel in the light as it was in the dark. It was actually quite nice, clearly a finished basement at least. The floors were a light wood linoleum -maybe birch?- and the walls a basic cream color. It was obviously a living room, coined by the leather furniture clustered in one side of the room facing a large tv. A big carpet covering that area of the floor.

An archway led into a different room, judging by the smell it was the kitchen. Three closed doors on the opposite wall were likely to a bathroom and two bedrooms. Y/N wasn’t entirely sure but it was her best bet. The only art on the walls was a picture with a green background depicting nothing but a large bone, bordered around the very edge of the frame were a bunch of tiny bones. Really, it was a nice place. Not as big as the main living room, but nice.

“Hurry up. Ya really  _ cutting _ into our time.” The smaller skeleton -what was his name damnit!- pushed past her and went into the kitchen. Y/N standing for a moment before following after.

“I never got your name.” Y/N muttered, mostly to herself. “Yeah, I didn’t throw it.”... Was that a dad joke? It was, wasn’t it? God Y/N, don’t laugh. You have this aloof thing going on, don’t laugh.

She snorted, turning away to look at the kitchen and missing the look… -HICKORY! Cotton called him Hickory!- gave her. The kitchen was also smaller than the one upstairs. It made sense if they were just renting it as a basement apartment. Considering Hickory’s attitude towards Y/N attempting to be nice and his opinion of Cherry, they obviously weren’t living rent-free like the others.

There were no tiled floors in the kitchen but there was a pretty orange and blue backsplash on the walls. It was a relatively small room, no island and the kitchen taking up half of it. The other half had a small table with some chairs, a quaint little breakfast nook. 

Y/N felt herself, almost relax? If it weren’t for the presence of Hickory, who just felt like he’d kill her if she did so, she would’ve relaxed.  _ This _ is what she was used to. A bit more fancy than her crappy apartment in her last life but a lot better than how she felt in the too large kitchen upstairs.

“There are only two chairs…” Y/N mumbled, again mostly to herself. Of course, someone heard her. If she wasn’t thinking, someone would always hear her, or at least it felt like that.

“WORRY NOT HUMAN! WE WILL EAT IN THE LIVING ROOM! WE CAN EVEN WATCH TV. I’VE BEEN WANTING TO WATCH THAT ‘FINDING NEMO’ MOVIE I’VE HEARD THE OTHERS SPEAK OF.” Cotton gestured with his wooden spoon as he talked, splattering the counter with drops of red sauce.

“You… don’t  _ need _ to do that. I can just stand.” Y/N stood as far from those two as she could, pretending to lean against the wall like she wasn’t pressing away from the too-loud Cotton because  _ ow  _ her  _ ears _ .

“OH BUT I WANT TO DO THAT! WE SHALL EXPLORE THIS ‘FINDING NEMO’ TOGETHER!” Cotton tutted, gesturing dramatically and really causing a bit of a mess.

“Sorry Cotton but I gotta  _ cut _ to the point. The human has  _ things _ to do and definitely doesn’t want to take a  _ slice _ out of her day to watch Finding Nemo.  _ Right? _ ” Hickory’s voice had an edge to it. He didn’t trust her. Oh well, that was nothing new.

Y/N nodded, nervousness knotting in her stomach. “Yep, busy, got things to do. Sorry Cotton. The most I can do is stay for dinner.”

“NHO HO HO.” Cotton commiserated, hanging his head as he plated the spaghetti. Y/N felt bad, no, horrible. Like she’d just kicked a sad puppy or something.

“But, I can probably watch it next time?” Wrong thing to say, or right? Hard to say. Hickory immediately leveled a glare at her back, or maybe he was just  _ like that _ . Cotton perked up.

“NEXT TIME? OF COURSE! NEXT TIME!” Even if Hickory was too damn protective for his own good, just looking at Cotton made Y/N see why. He was literally a puppy in monster form. He had to be. It only made sense.

Dinner was by far the best she had since getting here. Then again, it was only only the second time she had dinner and, really,  _ anything _ was better than friendship tacos.

Bidding Cotton goodnight, Y/N made her way back upstairs. Immediately, she felt bad for him again because he was just so damn tall and this entrance was so  _ small _ in comparison. It had  _ her _ ducking her head, what was it doing to  _ Cotton? _

Nerves still kept Y/N’s muscles tight, her mind going haywire after the nerve-wracking experience with Hickory. She wasn’t getting to sleep tonight, was she? No, she wasn’t…

Well, she knew where the Gym was and she  _ was _ the Gamer. Maybe Y/N didn’t need sleep? No better time to test that theory than tonight. Stat building it is.

**-=-=-=-**

Someone was in their home. Hickory didn’t know who it was, but someone was there. In the dark. He. Could.  _ Smell them _ . It wasn’t hard to find them. Their fear was tangible when he got close. Not to mention they  _ literally ran into him.  _ **_Moron_ ** .

It was...a girl? But not that Delilah bitch, not this girl was taller. Not as tall as him but taller. She didn’t scream when he got close either. So definitely not D- whatever her name was. Half the time he couldn’t remember, the rest Hickory didn’t care.

Who the fuck was  _ Cherry _ ? He didn’t know no  _ Cherry _ , except the food. He didn’t even  _ like _ Cherries. Wait-wait, wasn’t that the nickname for  _ Delilah _ . Hickory didn’t understand everyone else’s obsession with the chick. Nor did he know who  _ Peachie _ was. It sounded stupid.

At least the Y/N character knew how to be fuckin’ quiet. Hickory didn’t hang much round Delilah but he knew that bitch could  _ talk _ . Damn it was grating, never a quiet moment. At least his bro knew how to be quiet.

He never did get an answer to his question, even if all he wanted to know was why she was in their apartment. Hickory couldn’t be mad at his bro, Cotton didn’ have a mean bone in his body. It was just annoying.

Still, that Y/N girl was strange. But considering how she treated his bro, meaning at least sort of nice if a bit cold, it might be a good strange. He didn’t know. He didn’t know a lot of things.

Time would tell but damn if Hickory wasn’t impatient.

**-=-=-=-**

Well, if that night told Y/N anything it was that she didn’t technically need sleep and could totally work out or study all night without any interruption. It _ also _ told her that it wasn’t a pleasant experience to get used to.

See, while Y/N’s body no longer needed sleep, her mind was used to several hours. Or, well, the two or three hours she got between games and such. After midnight, something in her alignment at it was a bit better but Y/N could tell it would take a bit to get used to the whole no sleep thing.

At least her stats were looking amazing. By doing mostly cardio, her  **DEX, AGI** were nearly caught up to her  **STR** . Her  **END** even caught up by a few points. It left her mental stats looking a bit lax but, hey, nothing a night of reading in her room or the library couldn’t fix. Go 24 hour service!

**The Gamer**

**Name: Y/N Wyles**

**Age: 23**

**HP: 170/17o**

**MP: 125/125**

**Level: 3 (200 XP to level)**

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 19**

**END: 15**

**DEX: 16**

**AGI: 14**

**INT: 12**

**WIS: 11 (5% gain)**

**CHA: 19 (15% gain)**

**LUK: 7**

**Points: 25**

  
  


Now, what Y/N really  _ really _ needed right now? A goddamn shower. Time to put those supplies she bought to good use. Thankfully, Cherry let her use the towels she owned. Y/N’s bank account wasn’t really the best. 

After the shower, Y/N put on some of her new clothes, tossed her two dirty outfits into the wash to change after work, and made her way out. Y/N was extremely proud of the finds she got at Not-Target, her outfit looked pretty good.

The top was an adorable pastel rainbow striped t-shirt with a red heart over the breast, it was a bit tight -most things Y/N bought at bargain price didn’t fit perfectly- but it was still pretty cute. The shorts were simple, black, and nothing really special but with the top and boots, it made a cute outfit.

Was admiring herself like this vain? Probably. Y/N was just proud of how great she was at finding great outfits for better prices.

  
  


Feeling a bit lethargic, Y/N didn’t do nearly as much today as she did yesterday. Maybe she should stay up more often to get used to not having to sleep? Maybe. Yeah, that sounded good.

**[Work It Girl!]**

**You want a job? You got a job. Complete tasks for your paycheck,**

**Tasks: [12/10]**

**Rewards: $60, 50 XP**

At the very least the office looked a bit more presentable. A lot of the work was organizing the papers stacked on every available surface. Some of which Y/N wasn’t entirely sure she was allowed to look at. Those were in their own stack on the desk. A lot of dusting had to be done too.

It really just left her wondering at exactly how much coffee these guys drank. Y/N had to have found at least a dozen different mugs in the office. Under the desk, hidden under a ton of paper, even behind one of the goddamn bookshelves. One was so badly chipped and cracked it was a wonder the thing was still standing.

Still, a good day of work nonetheless. In fact, Y/N even felt up to cooking something for lunch rather than just slap together a sandwich and a random piece of fruit from the fruit bowl. That never happened.

“ _ Ms. Wyles. _ ” Firefly stopped her before she could leave, looking… well, stoic. It was hard to tell exactly. The glasses covered up his only easy to see feature.

“Yessir?” Y/N looked up at him, blinking in shock when he took off his glasses, revealing two bright purple eyes. He wasn’t quite glaring at her with those startlingly pretty eyes, really he could give Andy a run for his money with those eyes, but it was a close thing.

“ _ Yesterday. Two skeletons, do you know them? _ ” Firefly asked. Y/N pretended to think about it before responding. How had Firefly seen them? They weren’t far from the building but they were still out of view from the window. Why was Firefly asking? He looked a tad concerned, but was he really? Y/N wasn’t sure Firefly even liked her. According to his REP, he didn’t.

“Well, not well,” Y/N started, feeling the air chill as Firefly narrowed his eyes, “Wednesday night, or maybe Tuesday morning? It was dark, that I know. I was kind of wandering around after visiting Andy, that’s what I call Swirlby, and I found their nibling. Her name is Violet, do you know her? She’s pretty sweet but got lost. They were just coming to thank me, wanted to take me somewhere to meet her but I had places to be, ya know? Why? Do you know them?”

Y/N batted her eyes, trying to look curious and not at all like she knew they were in the mob. Why would she know? They hadn’t told her, Y/N had no way of knowing. It wasn’t lying...well technically it was a lie of omission. But still!

“ _ No...no reason… _ ” Firefly narrowed his eyes further, a slit of light and bright purple as he stared her up and down. The tension was palpable, nerves that had dispersed in the night curling in her chest. Then, Firefly put back on his glasses and he left.

Leaving Grillby’s, all the air left Y/N in a huff as she relaxed. Damn, there goes all of her de-stressing. Nothing she could do about it now. Besides, Y/N  _ had _ told the truth, just not that she knew they were members of the mob.

Her stomach growled. Working out all night was more than enough to make someone hungry. Y/N didn’t really feel like cooking after that either. Well, nothing could help that.

**-=-=-=-**

Firefly could’ve sworn she knew. She saw Pet right outside of the job, she saw the bait. She even knew not to follow Runt. How could she not know?

Brute was convincing, Firefly knew. If she didn’t know, she would’ve followed. She had to know. How could Y/N not know they were mafia members? Everyone at the bar knew.

Interesting...Y/N might just be interesting… if not oblivious.

**-=-=-=-**

Not-Razz was trying to get something from the top shelf again. Don’t laugh Y/N, don’t laugh. You know his pain. He seemed to be trying to cook something… and too stubborn to use the damn step stool. Tortillas, cheese, and some ground beef was already laid on the counter.

“So, what are you making Blacky?” Y/N lifted Razz again, it was easier than last time. It was probably because of last night. Was it easy? No, but still.

“Enchiladas.” Blackberry snapped, “Don’t call me that.” He grumbled. In his arms he had a few tomatoes and some peppers.

“Can I help?” Y/N’s stomach growled again at the thought. Enchiladas sounded  _ very _ good right now. Not-Razz looked at her suspiciously, eyes narrowed and eye lights shaped like a kite.

“Why?” He demanded, making it seem less like a question and more like an order. It seemed pretty simple to Y/N. She was hungry, she wanted some, so she was going to help make them so she got some. She said just that.

“Fine. Don’t mess me up.” Okay, that was simple. That might be the first time anyone actually obliged with a request she had. Neat.

And Y/N did stay out of his way, for the most part. She’d pick him up when he needed to reach high shelves, helped stir the sauce when he needed to do other things, and kept him calm when he felt things were taking too long or got frustrated with the heights in the kitchen that were, frankly, ridiculous.

“Blackberry! Oh, What Are You Two Doing?” A tall skeleton, Not-Razz’s brother if she remembered, bounded into the room. He looked kind of like Mutt, just like how Black looked a lot like Razz except for a few differences, again.

Not-Mutt was a bit shorter, generally seemed less angry, and didn’t look like he smoked. Rather than be in black and red, he had a primarily burnt orange theme. The fur on his coat wasn’t nearly as tangled and dirty looking. Actually, that could be said for him overall. He still had a collar, black and gold, but generally seemed… well just nice?

“We’re making enchiladas,” Y/N stopped Black from accidentally knocking in a thing of glitter into the sauce, why was that even in here? “I’m Y/N, Cherry probably told you about me.”

“Hi, I’m Pup. You Guys Are Making Enchiladas? Can I Watch?” Pup wasn’t quite as bouncy as some of the skeletons but he was more bouncy than Y/N expected from the Edgy ones.

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Y/N responded, looking to Not-Razz, who just sighed and nodded like he’d really rather not. There was nothing fond on his face, just annoyance but Y/N knew from his REP bio that he probably was feeling something akin to fondness. Hell, Y/N was getting attached to Pup already…

Was it bad that the main reason Y/N was liking Pup was that he had by far treated her the best out of the skeletons in the house? Probably. It certainly said something about the others. Basic respect was enough to get her to like someone. Le sigh.

The prep was finished soon after, enchiladas slid into the oven leaving the three to wait. They looked delicious before being cooked, Y/N couldn’t wait for after.

A tentative conversation struck up between the three of them, quickly devolving into a pun off between Y/N and Pup. Pup was actually pretty decent at puns but was trumped by Y/N, who already heard all of them in game and knew the other character’s puns enough to copy.

Blackberry didn’t have as much fun as them sadly, or at least he didn’t show it. Hopefully he enjoyed cooking if nothing else. It was by far the best time Y/N’s had with  _ any _ of the skeletons in the house. No questionable looks, no death threats… well no undertone of death threats at least. Blackberry was very open as he announced he would kill Y/N if she messed him up. At least he’s honest.

Finally, the enchiladas were done and even Blackberry could barely contain his excitement. It was obvious Blackberry didn’t get to cook much. Being the smallest skeleton in the house did that. Especially since the entire kitchen seemed to be built for six foot giants.

Yeah, quite a few height jokes were made as the enchiladas were being made. Except this time it was at the expense of the tall people, who weren’t even there but still. Pup was pretty tall though. He got a kick out of being called a bean stalk, a lot of bean puns were the result.

Y/N took a tentative bite of the enchilada, careful not to burn her tongue. It smelled amazing and… it tasted  _ better _ . Sure, it wasn’t the best thing she’d ever had but  _ anything _ is better than nothing but sandwiches and that ‘friendship taco’. Ugh, it sent a shiver down her back thinking of it.

“Blackberry, these are amazing.” Y/N moaned as she took another bite, missing the reactions of the other two. Best enchiladas  _ ever _ . Just don’t tell her grandma.  **_—Notthatyoullseethemagain—_ **

“Better than Blueberry’s Friendship Tacos?” Not-Razz asked in reply. Y/N nearly choked when she snorted immediately in response.

“Oh god yes. Broken glass would be more pleasant.” Y/N wheezed, coughing. Pup snorted, falling into giggles at that. Not-Razz just rolled his eyes at the two, puffing up his chest.

“OF COURSE IT IS!” He boasted loudly. His stance nearly sent Y/N into another coughing fit as she refused to stop eating. She was  _ hungry, _ okay?

“WHAT IS?” Speak of the devil and he shall appear, apparently. Blueberry bounced in, baby blue boots surprisingly quiet against the floor. His similarly colored scarf tied into a bow behind him bobbing with each movement.

“N-nothing Blueberry.” Y/N stuttered around another mouthful. A startling loud gasp left Blueberry, he looked offended to an amusing degree. He couldn’t honestly act like that, right? That had to be over exaggerated.

“HUMAN!” Geez, she had a  _ name _ , “I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD COOK WITHOUT THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY! WE MUST COOK DINNER RIGHT NOW!” Oh, okay.

...Wait, what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blueberry demands Reader make dinner with him. Reader should...  
> A) Cook With Him  
> B) Refuse to Cook With Him  
> C) Make an excuse not to Cook With Him
> 
> Stretch confronts Reader. Reader should...  
> A) Try to reason with him  
> B) Make an excuse and leave  
> C) Ignore him
> 
> Z is waiting for Reader outside. Reader should...  
> A) Vent to him  
> B) Get to know him better  
> C) Don't talk and take a moment to relax in silence
> 
> Reader has [3] Perk points.  
> Available Perks:  
> Breathe In, Breathe Out - Access to [Gymnast] Skill Tree, 10% AGI gain [1]  
> Hard Work Pays Off - Access to [Everyday] Skill Tree, +2 END [1]  
> Back to Basics - Access to [Mathematics] Skill Tree, +2 INT [1]  
> Cause and Effect - Access to [Scientist] Skill Tree, +2 INT [1]  
> History Buff - Access to [Historian] Skill Tree, +2 WIS [1]  
> In The Words Of - Access to [Writing] Skill Tree, +2 DEX [1]  
> Strumming Chords - Access to [Musician] Skill Tree, +2 CHA [1]  
> Cry Cry Cry - Access to [Acting] Skill Tree, +10% CHA gain [1]  
> Looking At Me - Access to [Special] Skill Tree, +10% CHA gain [1]
> 
> One Two Fire - Access to [Gunslinger] Skill Tree, +10% AGI, DEX [2]  
> White Mage - Access to [Healing] Skill Tree, +10% WIS gain [2]  
> No Pain, No Gain - Access to [Training] Skill Tree, +10% STR gain [2]  
> Marathoner - Access to [Endure] Skill Tree, +10% END gain [2]  
> One With Flames - Access to [Fire Magic] Subtree, +10% CHA gain [2]  
> One With Water - Access to [Water Magic] Subtree, +10% CHA gain [2]  
> One With Air - Access to [Air Magic] Subtree, +10% CHA gain [2]  
> One With Earth - Access to [Earth Magic] Subtree, +10% CHA gain [2]
> 
> Hardcore Parkour - Access to [FreeRunning] Skill Tree, +10% DEX, AGI gain [3]  
> Backwater Hero - Access to [Detective] Skill Tree, +10% INT, WIS [3]  
> Thumbelina Calculator - Perk [Genius] gained [3]  
> Beautiful Wordsmith - Perk [Silver Tongue] gained [3]  
> Hiding In Plain Sight - [Ninja] Skill Tree, +10% DEX, AGI [3]  
> Blink And You’ll Miss It - Perk [Observant] gained [3]


	9. Encounters of the Startling Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is having a lot of feelings right now, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, a fool: I'm going to post this in around four days like my other chapters!
> 
> My ability to focus, already three thousand miles away: You want to do WHAT?

Cooking with Blackberry was fun, if stressful at first. Pup was pretty funny and both didn’t seem to hate her. At least, not nearly as much as some of the other people living in the mansion. Not to mention the food, of which the extras were hanging out in the microwave, had turned out delicious.

Cooking with Blueberry, on the other hand, was… well it was something. Despite both being berry’s, they were nothing alike. Blue was a lot more hyperactive and innocent-seeming than Blackberry. You’d think that his nice, open posture would mean he would be nice to Y/N. Or try his hardest to make a good dish with her help. Oh, oh no. You would be  _ so _ wrong. It’s almost funny how wrong you’d be.

“Alright, well, what are we making?” Y/N asked, seeing Blackberry and Pup sneak out out of the corner of her eye, traitors. Did Blueberry have a reputation in the kitchen? Just Y/N’s luck.

“CHICKEN CORDON BLEU!” Blueberry bounced, practically vibrating with excitement. Y/N smiled back, tight and awkward. The small, but still taller than her, round skeleton bounded past her.

When someone describes cooking as their passion, they needed to look at Blueberry to see exactly how that passion could go wrong. He used passion in his every movement, yes, but he also used the maximum amount of force.

Y/N squeaked as a package of chicken flew past her head, thudding loudly into the sink faster than most professional baseball players could throw. Not something she would want thrown at her head. But Blueberry couldn’t have meant it like that, right?

Cheese hit the counter next to the sink with a mighty  _ thwap _ , also uncomfortable close to Y/N’s head. Then came ham and breadcrumbs. Y/N moved as far from that area of the kitchen as she could, ending up closer to Blueberry near the fridge.

“Wait, don’t!” Y/N cut Blueberry off, tearing the carton of eggs that Blue was about to send soaring from his hands. Blue whipped around, expression off -almost angry?- before immediately softening into one of  **_\--fake--_ ** concern.

“HUH? WHY HUMAN?” He blinked oh so innocently. Almost like he wasn’t just moments away from painting the walls with eggshells. Y/N balanced the egg carton with on hand, gently pulling Blueberry so she could put the eggs away.

“Because you don’t use eggs in chicken cordon bleu.” Nor are you supposed to throw them at 90 kmph, Y/N added silently. A loud, far too dramatic gasp came from next to Y/N. The egg carton barely left her hand before she was bodily shoved and twisted around to face Blueberry.

“YOU DON’T? I HAD NO IDEA!” Her ears rang from how close and loud she was, his fingers digging into her arms. Y/N held back a grimace, damn his grip was strong. Like, seriously, what did this guy eat?

**-3 HP**

The area on her arms where Blueberry had grabbed her throbbed painfully. That was going to bruise, wasn’t it? Probably. Y/N rubbed the area gently. It wouldn’t really help but whatever. It made her feel better.

**HP: 167/170**

After the narrowly-missed-egg-fiasco, the rest of the cooking was… it was fine… this was fine. It was totally fine. Nothing amiss whatsoever. Just a nice, simple cooking lesson. Definitely a relaxing, nice time…

Who was Y/N fooling? Not herself. Never before has Y/N been so god damn stressed over something. Well, except basically every test in highschool. At the very least she wasn’t at the edge of a panic attack. Or at least it didn’t feel like it.

Nah, just suppress that thought. Focus on stopping Blueberry from making something completely inedible. It seemed nigh impossible but Y/N could do nothing but try. Try and pray.

“He has to be doing this on purpose.” Y/N muttered underneath her breath as she confiscated the glitter for the third time in ten minutes. Blueberry’s face screwed up again into an over exaggerated pout.

“BUT HUMAN! IF LOOKS GOOD IT WILL TASTE GOOD TOO!” Blueberry whined. His voice reached pitches and tones that rang uncomfortably in Y/N’s ears. Grating and painful, like most of the things he did seemed to be. 

“That’s… not how it works Blueberry. Especially since this isn’t edible glitter.” Y/N ‘reminded’ him as gently as she could for the third time. The bottle of industrial sized bright pink craft glitter clenched in her hand.

Blueberry spun, tapping his foot against the ground annoyed. With his back to her, Y/N stuffed the glitter quickly into her inventory so he couldn’t get it again. Then again, knowing Blue he would probably find more… Pity how little faith she had in Blue despite only knowing him for, what, fifteen minutes max? It was well earned.

Glitter and eggshells were just the start of things that Blueberry tried to add to the dish that, under no circumstances whatsoever, belonged in Chicken Cordon Bleu. Pen Ink --where’d he even find that?--, carolina reapers, glue, paper, relish, sand, the broken remains of a bottle of jelly --glass included--, and even gunpowder.

What, exactly, the skeletons even had some of this stuff in their kitchen was an absolute mystery that Y/N wasn’t sure she wanted to figure out. Then again, the murder basmenet was a mystery and it turned out to be not nearly as murder-y as Y/N thought it would be… Nah, let’s just avoid that train of thought.

The more Y/N ‘thwarted’ Blue’s attempts to make the dish ‘better’, the more and more it seemed he definitely didn’t like her. Y/N didn’t assume he liked her in the first place. Either way, neither seemed to be having very much fun.

Or at least if Blue was having fun, it was at Y/N’s expense. Y/N felt he was getting amusement from her struggles to keep the dish edible and the kitchen not burned down. Considering these skeleton’s opinions on her, Y/N would be surprised.

If that wasn’t enough, the point of Endurance she gained by the time she finished haggling down the temperature of the oven to not half a million degrees was the game’s way of poking fun. Up side: More endurance. Down side: She had to do this.

“AND NO WE WAIT! THOUGH WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO WAIT AS LONG IF THE HEAT WAS HIGHER.” Blue hummed, vibrating in place with the energy that he never seemed to lose throughout the entire experience. Lucky.

Y/N wasn’t quite sweating but she could feel how tired the experience had made her. The side shot at her decision to keep the temperature reasonable wasn’t missed.

“I’m sure it’ll turn out amazing.” Y/N said with a confidence she didn’t feel. The kitchen was a mess, she felt like a mess, the only thing that wasn’t a mess was Blueberry. Somehow… What sort of black magic managed to keep him clean and where could she learn it?

“OF COURSE IT’LL BE GREAT! EXPECT NOTHING ELSE FROM THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT BLUE!” Blue puffed his chest out much like Blackberry had. It didn’t seem nearly as… whatever word you would use to describe Black. Cute? Nah, he’d kill her if he heard that. No doubt about it.

“I wouldn’t dare think less, your greatness.” Y/N huffed, sighing with a smile. Grabbing the leftover enchiladas from the microwave, and stuffing them in her inventory, Y/N gave Blue a lazy salute as she made her way out of the kitchen. 

**-=-=-=-**

When he demanded the human cook with him, Blueberry wasn’t expecting much. Was he going to have some fun at her dispense by making the craziest dish he could imagine from something relatively simple? Sure. He wasn’t expecting it to be very entertaining.

  
It wasn’t. She kept stopping him. Not at all like Cherry. Cherry was sweet and nice and just so amazing and always complimented his cooking. This human was so not like Cherry. How could Cherry even stand them?

This human was mean, just so rude. Kept talking down to him while he tried to have a little fun with the dish. Sure, it was amusing to watch her get annoyed when he tried to throw in a little of the gunpowder Razz had accidentally left in the kitchen, or maybe Mutt? One of the two, Blue wasn’t sure but he didn't ask. No one really asked.

Then, then the human had the gall to call him ‘Your Greatness’, like they were making fun of him! He was the great and magnificent Blueberry! How dare the human make fun of his well deserved title! And they just left without even saying goodbye!

How dare the human be so rude. Someone needed to teach her some  _ manners _ .

**-=-=-=-**

**_\--getout--_ **

Hairs raised on the back of Y/N’s neck. The throbbing in her arms had slowly lessened over the course of the cooking lesson but damnit if it didn’t still hurt. Her legs carried her further from the kitchen.

Maybe she should just head outside. No one seemed to go to the garden as far as she was aware. Z might even be there. Z… was he still okay? Y/N hadn’t brought him food since, wednesday was it? Yeah, wednesday. Now it was friday… Had she really been here almost a week?

**_\--getoutgetout--_ **

Pace picking up, either her breathing or her speed she couldn’t tell. Y/N had been here for nearly a week. She’d been dead for nearly a week. Funny how everything seemed to be leading back to that. First it had been her pressing need for a roof over her head and any sort of income. Then, getting her own supplies to survive. Then it was narrowly avoiding the many skeletons that would rather kill her than hug her.

Now… well, as far as Y/N cared, none of the skeletons seemed actively out to kill her. That was enough. Hopefully, they could all just ignore each other and Y/N could leave and she wouldn’t die again.

Death… funny how everything seemed to fall back into that… The miniscule chance of getting hit by lightning starting this. It didn’t even feel like it’d been a week since this started. Whatever you would call ‘this’.

**_\--getoutGetoutGetout--_ **

Had this house always felt so oppressive? Yeah… maybe Y/N hadn’t noticed before but there was an air in the house that felt so tense that if she breathed wrong she might die. Wouldn’t that be special? Death by breathing. Maybe even the first in the world to die from bad vibes.

“I gotta ask, what do you think you’re doing?” Y/N stumbled, damn near falling as a voice pierced through her inner rambling. A semi deep, tinny voice like the sound of a train going down the tracks at a too-high pitch.

“W-what?” Y/N mumbleded, turning to find who had talked to her. It was that orange skeleton. What was his name? Y/N wasn’t sure. He smoked, wore an orange hoodie, and didn’t like her. That’s basically all Y/N knew of him. As thus, let him be known as ‘Carrot’.

“My brother, what do you think you’re doin’ with him.” Carrot seemed suspicious of her. Like Blueberry was the one in mortal danger when they existed in the same room together. As if. Y/N wasn’t nearly strong enough for that to even be a shadow of a possibility.

“...Cooking?” What else did it look like? They were painfully chugging through making a very mediocre dish. There was nothing more to it. Did it look weird? Y/N didn’t think it was weird. Damn, now she was feeling self conscious.

“ _ Right _ , so you  _ weren’t _ pressing your body all over my little brother.” The casual tone of his voice was definitely a trap. Carrot’s posture seemed relaxed, a hunch to his shoulders and a lazy look to his eyes. His words didn’t seem to match his vibes.

“W-what? No. I’m sorry? Wait. No. I… what’s your name?” Y/N stumbled over the words that got stuck in her throat like glue. Each one like going over a jump rope, except the jump rope was going mach 10 and her feet were tied together. So not at all like a jump rope then.

“Does it matter?” Was Carrot glaring at her? It was hard to tell. At the very least, it felt like he was annoyed with her. If that was the case then he was a lot like Blueberry. That whole ‘I can’t tell if you’re pissed at me or not and i really don’t want to annoy you further but can’t find a way out of this situation’ thing.

“I mean, kinda? We live in the same house so I think I should at least know your name  _ before _ we start arguing Carrot-top.” Y/N sighed, goosebumps prickling over her skin. A hand went to rub her arm, hands still clammy from cold water and soap after he kitchen adventure. The undeniable feeling of  _ wrong _ , dark and foreboding, drawing her muscles tight. Growing in her chest like a cancerous growth and feeling just as deadly.

Carrot seemed to jerk back, looking to be on the edge of giving up his air of not caring. A rumble rose in the air… was he growling at her? Y/N had experienced a lot since arriving here but someone growling at her? That was… well that was certainly new.

“ _ Carrot-Top? _ Really?” he sounded exasperated, “ _ fine _ , you can call me Stretch then, or Honey. People call me both and I really  _ don’t _ care about what you call me,” That was a lie, he obviously didn’t like being called a carrot, “Now,  _ what do you think you were doing with my brother _ ?”

O-kay, that was… well really this whole situation was a lot. First of all, Carrot was called both Honey  _ and _ Stretch? Did he not have a real name or did he just not want to tell her it? Then again, wasn’t there that thing talking about multiverses and some shit in that one Q&A Y/N didn’t bother reading fully? So maybe he just had more than one nickname? Probably. Stretch because he was tall --even if he was short compared to someone like Jakobar or Cotton- and Honey because… he acted sweet to the protagonist? Sweet like honey? He certainly wasn’t sweet to her.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Y/N sighed, giving him a weary smile, “I’m not-” “Oh no, I know  _ exactly what you are _ . I want you to stay  _ away _ from my brother. If you don’t, you  _ won’t  _ like what happens next.”

Interrupting her now, was he? And this guy was calling Y/N a bitch… well not in those terms but it was definitely  _ heavily _ implied. What did she even do to him? What did  _ Peachie _ do to him? Damn you lack of INT stat… or maybe that was just Y/N’s bad memory at play… again.

“ _ Listen _ , please. I don’t say that often you know. I’m not going to do anything to your brother. It’s not like there’s much substance to do anything with-  _ which isn’t an insult- _ it was a jab at you guys being skeletons and me not knowing how that even works.” Carrot  _ almost _ didn’t seem to believe her.

“What  _ just happened _ was that  _ your _ brother asked  _ me _ to help him cook dinner. We cooked dinner. Stressfully because I’m still not sure he knows that glitter  _ doesn’t _ go in food, at least not the plastic kind, but  _ still _ . We didn’t do  _ anything _ like I think you’re accusing me of.”

Carrot stared down at her, tall ass that he was. His posture seemed to gain an edge to it that almost implied he liked her even  _ less _ . Was that even possible? Stupid skeletons and their stupid assumptions making her life just  _ that _ much harder.

“I.  _ don’t. believe.  _ **_you.”_ ** Carrot growled, and this time it was no secret that it came from him. That dark feeling pulsing behind her ears had steadily been growing stronger. That feeling that  _ something _ bad was going to happen.

**_\--GETOUT--_ **

Y/N has fled.

**-=-=-=-**

She was trying to do something with his brother. Honey could tell. He didn’t know what she had planned for Blue but she had  _ something _ planned and she knew he was onto her. The bitch tried to convince him she didn’t have anything planned.

He knew what she was. Honey wouldn’t allow her to get her claws into his brother. Blue did not deserve to be around that woman and Honey would not allow it.

Then she ran away. The bitch ran the moment he called her out on her bluff.

Fuck her, she better stay away from Blue or Stretch would  _ not _ hesitate.

**-=-=-=-**

Cool air hit her face in a wave, a reminder that it was still autumn in this world. Soothing her nerves, though not by much, Y/N rolled her shoulders and sighed. At least the garden was relaxing. It might be one of the only things in this world that  _ was _ .

Knees giving out beneath her, Y/N shakily sat on the steps. Cold seeping through her shorts and shocking at her legs, just on the edge of uncomfortable. God, what was that? What was any of this? She could ask Sparky but… well let’s be honest, he’s the reason she’s even here so she’s not going to trust him. He  _ killed _ her for pete’s sake.

Why did it seem everyone was out to get Y/N? She knew Peachie was a bitch but enough to deserve literal death threats. Or maybe Carrot was just being an overprotective brother. Y/N didn’t know much about overprotective brothers but she did have a pretty protective aunt so maybe this was normal.

God, these people are going to kill her one day, weren’t they? At this point, Y/N wouldn’t even be surprised. Considering how some of these skeletons were acting, Y/N would be more surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

_ Thwack. _ Y/N jumped, an old plastic lid slapping against her leg. Blinking slowly, Y/N followed it’s path to… oh right, Z. Well she was going here to feed him anyway, he didn’t have to throw something at her. Even if it was the best way to get her attention without leaving the alley.

Picking up the old lid, it wouldn’t do to litter, Y/N made her way around the corner. Tossing the top in the trash, Y/N searched for her little friend. “Hey Z, you here?” She called, retreating back to the opening of the alley so as to not get in his personal bubble.

An almost pitiful whine was all she got in response. It took Y/N a moment to realize that it came from Z. The first noise she ever heard from him. A long red scarf drew her eye to a shaking bundle huddled in the corner.

“Z, buddy, are you okay?” Y/N slowly crawled her way closer, pausing every time Z finched. “Please show me what’s wrong, I just want to help.” She cooed, gently taking place just in front of the small skeleton.

There was a soft ping as persuasion leveled up, the huddled figure uncurling the slightest amount to just barely show a leg. Y/N sucked in a breath of air, a long crack ran cleanly through his… his fibula if Y/N knew her bones correctly.

“Ow, that looks like it hurts.” Y/N moved her hand towards it, pausing in mid air as she realized she had no idea how to help. Z started at the movement, yelping softly as the movement jostled his broken leg.

Maybe… maybe she had a perk that could help? Y/N had to have a perk that could help. She had to! She couldn’t just…  _ leave _ him like this. Gathering her resolve, Y/N entered the  **Pause** room. Z’s face is the last thing she sees as the pixels fade away. 

Searching quickly through the perk list, Y/N found what she was looking for.  **White Knight** boasted the healing skill and a WIS boost she didn’t really care about right now. On her way, Y/N picked up the  **Everyday** skill tree. It was just useful and she was meaning to get it for a while now.

**[Everyday] -**

**Cleaning (Level 1) - Active - DEX + Level of Skill + 2% Cleaning Speed**

**Cooking (Level 1) - Active - INT + Level of Skill + 2% Cooking Speed**

**Sewing (Level 1) - Active - AGI + Level of Skill + 2% Sewing Speed**

**Woodworking (Level 1) - Active - AGI + Level of Skill + 2% Working Speed**

**Crafting (Level 1) - Active - DEX + Level of Skill + 2% chance to succeed**

**[Healing] -**

**Mending (Level 1) - Active - Heal your friends! - +5 HP per sec - Cost: 10 MP per second**

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Y/N calmed her nerves and left the  **Pause** room. The world faded into existence, Z’s face reappearing in front of her. While Y/N had no idea how her healing skill worked with any hope it would be like video games and she’d just mentally click the icon.

“Okay, I’m going to try something so  _ please _ ,  _ trust me _ .” Z looked worried but, ever so reluctantly, shifted so his leg was a tad easier to get to. Y/N hovered her hand over the injury, hesitating as she fitzed around with that strange feeling she could only describe as her magic.

Slowly, a wobbly aura of a soft deep green magic shifted around her hand, drawing a strange taste to her mouth and leaving her eyes watering. It was like too spicy food doused in enough red wine to give an elephant alcohol poisoning which was strange because she didn’t drink. It was distinctly unpleasant, a slight burn in her veins as the too-new magic forced its way through them. 

Either way, it seemed to start working as Z, although shying away at first, seemed to relax the longer Y/N worked her magic. Literally in this case. It was easy to push away the unpleasantness with that in mind.

**-10 MP ( Z: 185/300 HP)**

**-10 MP ( Z: 190/300 HP)**

**-10 MP ( Z: 195/300 HP)**

**-10 MP ( Z: 200/300 HP)**

The amount of MP she was losing was horrible, especially since she didn’t have much of it to begin with. At the very least, Z’s hp was getting higher and his wound was looking better too, bit by bit.

115, 95, 65. Doing the math, Y/N could only heal for about 16 seconds at a time. Pretty sure only God knows how quickly that regens anyway. Too much math for Y/N that she didn’t really care for right now.

5 mana. All Y/N had left by the time she was finished. A sheen of sweat on her forehead, clammy hands feeling stiff, all her limbs felt stiff. Y/N was sitting down but she still felt wobbly, light headed from the exertion.

The messy break in his fibula, and yes that’s what Y/N was going with on the name of the bone, looked cleaner. Not fully healed but definitely like it hurt less. That odd ooze that was probably their blood mixed with dust clumped against the edges and dusting down his leg.

Carefully taking her water bottle out in a way that wouldn’t seem like she was pulling it from thin air, Y/N started washing the ectoplasm and dust from the wound. Y/N probably should have done that before she healed it. Look, Y/N was a lot of things but she never claimed to be smart. Intelligence was her second lowest stat even, only five-ish points above her Luck and that was never going to get better.

Now all that was left was to wrap the wound with… well Y/N couldn’t really use anything around her. Z had a scarf but it looked pretty pristine, if well loved, for a homeless skeleton so it was probably important to him. Did she have anything in her inventory?

Well, she had some oddly shiny ribbons. Not the most conventional thing to use that they were special, raising rep and all, but isn’t that what Y/N was going for here? Besides, it would probably make a good wrapping.

**Trusted Ribbon - A long ribbon, give pieces to those you trust - Raises REP with those pieces are given to, Activates ability [Second Chance] upon Bad Ending**

Despite unrolling quite a bit of it to wrap Z’s wound, the amount of ribbon on the spool didn’t seem to be getting much lower. Y/N hoped that meant that it wouldn’t ever run out. It probably would but like, only if she died or something. Which would never happen if she had anything to say about it.

Carefully winding the ribbon around to keep the bones in place, Z seemed to melt under her touch. So at the very least Y/N’s help was working. Even if she had little to no idea on what the ever loving fuck she was doing.

Falling back with a huff, Y/N tried to pull herself together but she was just… so tired. Like, seriously, who knew magic could be so draining. The more you know.

Shuffling, Y/N leaned back against the wall of the house, head falling to thud against the stone foundation. Her eyes slowly drifting closed. Something cold pressed against her side.

Cracking an eye open, Y/N recognized it was Z and closed her eyes again. The two relaxed after two very long days. Y/N didn’t know what kind of fight Z had gotten into to get such an egregious wound but she wasn’t about to bring up bad memories.

“What’s your favourite color?’ Y/N asked out of the blue. She felt Z’s head shift more than she saw it, two large eyes staring into her soul. 

“I like the color orange, like poppies and sunsets. Purple too. It’s nice, the color of royalty. Yet dark and magical when it needs to be. Though they only really work well together on halloween, at least in my opinion.”

A tug at her sleeve. Y/N opened her eyes to read Z’s reply, good that he was talking more.

_ ‘I like green’ _ was the shaky handed reply. Y/N smiled, “Green? That’s a nice color, like grass and trees and flower stems.”  _ and her magic _ , Y/N’s mind reminded her.

“What about your favourite food? I like quesadillas personally… oh, before you answer I just remembered I brought enchiladas.” Y/N had officially given up trying to make it look like she wasn’t just taking things from thin air. The enchiladas were put into her hands by the gods. Sad part it, that statement isn’t entirely incorrect.

For the next… really who knows how long, the two laid there, eating enchiladas and just...talking. It was nice, being able to speak to someone without the taste of murder in the air. Even Blackberry and Pup had been dragged down by the oppressive aura of the house.

Z’s favourite food was macaroni and cheese. He hasn’t seen many movies but really likes Home Alone. He had an older brother out there somewhere he was looking for. His favourite animal was the turkey because it looked weird.

None of the information was really important in the grand scheme of things. Then again, did it need to be? Z was one of Y/N’s friends in this strange world, one of the few she had. She was going to make the best of it.

Eventually, Z fell asleep on her side. Like when a cat takes a nap on you, Y/N couldn’t move. Slowly, she fell asleep too. The darkness overtook her, but it wasn’t nearly as foreboding this time.

**-=-=-=-**

_ Her hair was so soft. _

**-=-=-=-**

**Advancement Made -**

**[Two’s a Pair] -**

**Stalker, meet stalker. Say it’s a pleasure meeting you. Don’t want things to get** **_messy_ ** **now do we?**

**Reward: 150 XP, + 2 Perk Points, +100 % REP Gain with Characters in the [???] Alignment, +10 CHA, + 20 Skill Points**

**-=-=-=-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader hasn't been around much and wants to explore a bit after word, she should go...  
> A) To The Park (New Character)  
> B) To the Movies (New Character, -$25)  
> C) To The Candy Store (New Character, -$30)
> 
> When Reader gets home, she should try and raise stats with...  
> A) Blackberry and Pup  
> B) Red and Edge  
> C) Sans and Papyrus
> 
> Night dawns, Reader should...  
> A) Work Out (Raise Physical Stats)  
> B) Go to The Library (Raise Mental Stats)  
> C) Go to Sleep (A full night's rest)


	10. Three's A Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today started a tad stressful but, hey, at least things seem to be looking up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, I did something new. I was actually a lot of fun! For me... You might not like it as much.

By the time Y/N woke up, Z was gone. A pain lanced up her back as she shifted, strained muscles protesting after sleeping in a not-at-all-well-thought-out position. How the small skeleton had managed to leave without waking her was a mystery. Y/N was usually a pretty light sleeper.

Z was pretty quiet, was very good at hiding too. The little guy probably had his ways. But...but he was injured? His leg bone, the fibu-whatever was broken. Well, just cracked now but still. What if he made it worse? 

No, no. Z has been out on his own for a while now, surely he knew how to take care of himself. Right? Right. Y/N sighed, stretching. A pained groan leaving her throat as her spine gave a startlingly loud pop.

What day was it now? Saturday? Still had work then. Would probably be worse too because of the happy hour yesterday. That was a thing, right? Right. Probably. Y/N was saying ‘right’ a lot recently.

  
  


5:45 am, no time for a shower then. Just deodorant, a change of clothes, and some hopes and prayers so that she might not be late… Who was Y/N kidding? She was going to be late. With her luck, she’d probably even get hit by a car on the way to work or something.

**-=-=-=-**

Well, Y/N didn’t get hit by a car. It narrowly missed her actually but that isn’t the point. The morning before said ‘nearly-getting-hit-by-a-car’ incident was… well it was hell to put it simply.

To put it in more complicated words? It started not too long after going inside. Cherry was up for… some reason. Y/N didn’t remember her being a morning person but, really, it didn’t matter. She had demanded to know where Y/N was last night and, after learning Y/N had fallen asleep in the alley by their house, was very upset.

Cherry’s concern was honestly kind of nice. However, it also took up a lot of time Y/N needed to get ready for work and out the door. So while Y/N wasn’t proud of cutting Cherry off with a couple worried apologies, there wasn’t much else she could do without being late.

Of course, even being slightly rude to Cherry got Y/N interrupted by Red, and why the fuck was he even awake? Thankfully, that was all. With skills honed from sleeping in on school days, Y/N was dressed in two minutes and out the door in five.

Eating a fruit roll up as fast as humanly possible, Y/N speed walked to work. It was while crossing the street that she was nearly hit by said car. Of course, she wasn’t. What did happen was that the car sped over a puddle, god knows where that came from, and sprayed Y/N with murky water. Maybe it was just luck that there was no mud in the puddle either… or maybe not. Luck was the thing that got Y/N killed in the first place.

She wasn’t proud of it, or much of anything really. The grand majority of Y/N’s like, this one and the last, was ruled by luck with such an iron grip she could barely breathe. Whether it be not getting into her dream college because the bus just so happened to malfunction for exactly the needed time to get the the school to her car also breaking down at the same time to the storm and even getting hit by lightning at all. It could’ve been anyone else, really  _ anyone else _ … yet it was Y/N.

Y/N… didn’t do a very good job at work that day. Grillby was the one there early, one always was and it was probably because they didn’t trust her. Whether he didn’t notice her distraction or just didn’t care, Y/N would never know. But, man, her thoughts really took a downward turn.

Good day and bad day come and go, the only thing Y/N could say is that she didn’t survive her last bad day. After all, that was the day she died. Even now, it often felt like she was living in a dream. No… not a dream… a living  _ nightmare _ full of what felt like death traps and pitfalls at every turn. For every good thing that happens, something worse sullies it.

Stepping out of work $55 richer didn’t feel like an accomplishment. Today was just one of those bad days. Then again, her first day here was also a bad day technically. Hell, every day here was usually a bad one somehow. Or maybe Y/N was just over exaggerating again. It was probably that.

Ugh, she didn’t feel like going back to the house, at all. It was far too stuffy on a good day. After the mess that was this morning? Yeah, no. Not going back there until it was absolutely necessary.

But then, where should Y/N go? She didn’t really know that many places. Just the mall, work, and the park. Spending money as the mall was out of the question if she was ever going to leave the skeleton house. She just got off of work and didn’t really feel like worrying Andy.

So… either she could walk around aimlessly until she found something to do… or Y/N could just go to the park. That seemed much,  _ much  _ easier. To the park it is! At least Y/N knew where that one was.

Even if Y/N’s day hadn’t been the best so far, the weather was actually quite nice. Clear blue skies, the singing of birds in the background of people and cars going by. A nice, cold breeze combating the heat from the sun. Maybe a little chilly but otherwise? It was actually pretty nice.

Was it odd that just the feeling of the wind on her skin made Y/N feel freer than she had in a long time, this life or the last? It probably was. Usually, her schedule was so busy and hectic, which was only partially her fault.

Sure, Y/N’s neck still didn’t want to turn all the way after the odd position she slept in last night but that was negligible. The longer she walked, the easier she could breathe. The further she got from the skeleton house, the better. Y/N could feel the psychic damage affecting her. 

The park was about the same as it was before, then again why would it change? Y/N had literally only been here about a week. The grass still had that artificial green color, even if it felt real. The play structure opposite her was colorful but didn’t have many people there. The trees are still as nice to climb as before. Not that Y/N was about to climb one and fall again… certainly not so.

No, no, Y/N was just going to go on a nice walk. She was going to enjoy the weather and nothing more. Definitely wasn’t going to climb that tree she was eyeing with the perfect low hanging branch that would make it really easy to climb, not at all-!

“Hey! Watch where you’re go...ing…” A voice reached Y/N’s ears. Y/N stumbled back, falling flat on her ass as she collided with an absolute stranger. Her palms scraped against the sidewalk, stinging as she put pressure on them to stand up.

“Sorry! Sorry, I was distracted.” Y/N explained hurriedly, a sheepish blush rising to her cheeks. She held out her hand to help the…skeleton…out…The stranger she ran into was a skeleton…Of course he was! What else would he be!

The first thing about him, other than his skeletonness, that stood out to her had to be his space themed shirt. The stars dotting the tee almost seemed to swirl like it was real. Hanging off one shoulder, having been displaced by the impact, was a yellow and dark blue hoodie. An alien patch visible over his left...breast? Y/N wasn’t really sure what to call it. All she knew was it seemed old and was almost falling off.

Even the skeleton’s eyelights were spaced themes, yellow circles with a dark blue star almost matching the inky blackness of the rest of his eyes. Soft blue colored cheeks made it easy to see the freckles dotting his cheeks, was that a blush? Nah. His freckles seemed to be in the shape of constellations. Which ones? Y/N had absolutely no idea.

“I’m Y/N Wyles. Sorry again for bumping into you.” The skeleton took her hand, letting Y/N pull him to his feet. It was a lot easier that Y/N expected, but that didn’t mean much. How much could a skeleton really weigh?... Don’t answer that, Y/N didn’t want to know.

“O-Orion... Schriftart. I-it’s okay, nice to m-meet you!” The skeleton, Orion, stammered. The flush seemed to only get stronger as he was nearly lifted off his feet while Y/N pulled him to his feet.

“Nice to meet you too, though I’d rather not run into anyone while doing them. Guess it couldn’t be helped here, huh?” A strained chuckle left Y/N. Awkwardly taking her hand from his. Orion’s hand just hung there for a moment before falling.

The two stood there quietly, Y/N doing her best not to meet his eye while his gaze bore into her. Occasionally, she’d glance back, then quickly would look away. What excuse could she make to leave this situation? Nothing about going home, surely. That was the last thing she wanted to do and the skeleton manor certainly wasn’t ‘home’.

“Um…” Y/N started, failing to resist the itch to fix the problem she caused, “Your...uh… hoodie is misplaced.” Y/N reached out, tugging the hoodie back into place. It also had a fluffy hood, a soft yellow glittering like the sun. Definitely the first fluffy hood she was actually able to touch.

“You’re fluff is really soft.” Y/N muttered absent-mindedly, not quite aware she had even spoken before Orion responded.

“T-Thanks!” Both flinched at how loud that came out, “U-uhm, w-what are you doing here today?” Orion continued quickly, voice wavering as he lowered his volume. He pettered off so much that Y/N could barely hear the end of his sentence. Orion fidgeted under her gaze. At least they were both feeling awkward, huh?

“Oh, just needed to get out of the house,” Y/N sounded a lot more casual than she felt, “What about you?” Y/N gave an awkward half smile, forcing her legs to walk forward. Orion trailed after her, the two walking almost uncomfortably close together. Y/N couldn’t seem to step away, frozen with her nerves.

“J-just staking out…” Orion pettered off, “a-a spot to stargaze that is!” he continued hurriedly, “Me and my brother, his name is Galaxy, like to stargaze here. It’s the only place in the city to do so really. We can’t really go out of the city very often because of work and most other places have too much light pollution to really see the stars.”

Y/N took a deep breath, calming her pounding heart. Orion’s rambling really reminded her of Micheal. Micheal had been her best friend in her past life, they’d even dated briefly before they realized they were better as friends. Nervousness, constantly rambling, slight stutter, love of the stars. It was odd how alike they were. Or maybe Y/N was just being nostalgic and they weren’t alike at all.  **_\--Notthatyoulleverseehimagainanyway--_ **

“That’s nice. I like the stars too.” Y/N intoned, not entirely realizing she’d interrupted Orion mid sentence. She hadn’t gotten a chance to stargaze in… at least a few months it had to be.

“Really? Me too!” Orion chirped excitedly, like Y/N couldn’t tell by looking at him he was obsessed with stars, “Did you know that every star you see in the night sky is actually bigger and brighter than our sun? Of the 5,000 or so stars brighter than magnitude 6, only a handful of very faint stars are approximately the same size and brightness of our sun and the rest are all bigger and brighter. Of the 500 or so that are brighter than 4th magnitude -which includes essentially every star visible to the unaided eye from an urban location-, all are intrinsically bigger and brighter than our sun, many by a large percentage…”

Y/N stopped paying attention to what he was saying, Orion’s voice going in one ear and out the other as he continued bombarding her with fun facts about stars. To be fair, some of it was really interesting. The majority, however? Yeah, Y/N didn’t really care all that much. Hell, she hadn’t bothered learning about what causes luminosity in stars since that one highschool science class she had to take.

Turning back to her surroundings, Y/N returned to admire the weather. Orion’s voice, soft and rumbling deep, a nice white noise. Enough to stop her thoughts from spiralling like before. A smile naturally falling on her lips as she turned her gaze to the sky. Her eyes fell closed as she enjoyed the breeze.

Breathing in and out, calmed by her environment in a way she couldn’t be at the skeleton house, Y/N… let her guard down. Sure, she was surrounded by strangers but she was surrounded by strangers wherever she went. Could Orion hurt her? Probably, Y/N wasn’t  _ that _ strong. Still, there wasn’t anything he could really do in public. So Y/N was about as safe as she could be, she would enjoy that.

It took a lot longer than Y/N would’ve liked for her to realize Orion had stopped talking. The deep lulling of his voice, probably the nicest voice she’d ever heard, was gone.

Y/N’s eyes fluttered open, squinting as she realized she was nearly looking straight into the sun. Taking a deep breath, Y/N turned back to Orion.

The skeleton was staring at her, Y/N watching in an almost morbid fascination as he damn near turned into a blueberry. Why was he staring at her so intently? Why was he blushing? Was that what he was even doing? Why was skeleton monster anatomy so confusing?

“Orion? Are you okay? Do I have something on my face?” Orion seemed to snap to, jerking at her voice. At least Y/N wasn’t the only one not paying attention.

“N-no!” Orion squeaked, an odd high-pitched sound, “I-I have to go. See you later.” Orion turned and damn near ran away. He turned behind a tree and didn’t come out the other side, disappearing.

“Bye…?” Y/N sounded about as confused as she felt. Gods, that was strange. That whole conversation was weird. What even happened? Y/N… wasn’t really sure.

**-=-=-=-**

That...was amazing… His stardust really was perfect!

... _ His _ Stardust... he really  _ really _ liked the sound of it.

His Stardust… his… his-his-hishishis- no one elses-  _ his _ .

He-he just needed to get rid of the runt and she would be his. He’d save her from that monster, from that house. She’d thank him, surely. She’d be so grateful, call him  _ her _ knight in shining armour.

_ Him _ and  _ her _ , a perfect pair. He just needed to stick with the plan…

It was  _ so _ tempting to just take her then, take her  _ home _ with  _ him _ , then they would- he would-

No! No, he just needed to stick to the plan. Galaxy would never need to know, no one would have to know.

Y/N and Orion Wyles… what a lovely name.

It would only be a matter of time.

Now… to deal with  _ that  _ **_monster_ ** .

**-=-=-=-**

Like always, Y/N had ended up at the skeleton house again. There wasn’t anywhere else for her to go. She sure as hell couldn’t afford rent right now, much less pay a security deposit.

Thankfully, most of the house was gone. Much like her, they had to work weekends. Or maybe they were doing something else? Y/N couldn’t say she cared much for their schedules… or them… like at all.

Still, there were still a few skeletons in the house. Hell, Y/N could hear the pans clattering in the kitchen from here. A napping skeleton in an old, slightly worn hoodie laying on the couch. Knowing Y/N’s luck, there was probably someone prowling around the second floor too.

All that really meant was that there was no way for Y/N to successfully make it to her room to hide without some sort of social interaction. Considering the people who lived here, there was a 90% chance that conversation would be hell.

Maybe she could sneak into the basement? Watch a movie with Cotton and completely ignore the cannibalistic vibes she was getting from Hickory… was it cannibalism though? Technically speaking, cannibalism is eating someone from the  _ same _ race as you. Monsters and humans are separate races… so maybe it wasn’t cannibalism?

You know what? Fuck that train of thought. Bad Y/N, stop thinking about the technicalities with Hickory’s eating habits and focus on how to get to the attic with as little social interaction as possible.

“Human Y/N!” Pup damn near ran Y/N over as he impacted her from the side, toppling them over. “Sorry! Siree Blackberry Wanted To See You.”

Pup wiggled, standing quickly and pulling Y/N up. She didn’t even get to reply before she was being dragged away by an overly excited Pup.

“O-kay?” Y/N couldn’t help the confused laugh leaving her, having absolutely no idea what was going on. She caught the empty sockets of the couch skeleton before she was dragged around a corner and he left her sight.

Welp, that was probably a bad thing. Y/N could bring herself to care, turning her attention back to Pup and struggling to keep her feet from just how  _ fast _ he was walking. Like, really it was ridiculous. Wasn’t he a version of… fuck… the small lazy one? How was he so fast?

With a crack, a wooden door was thrown open, impacting the wall and bouncing back fast enough to nearly clip Y/N as it slammed closed. How the force  _ didn’t _ make a hole in the wall was the real question.

“Siree! I Found Y/N!” Pup chirped, stopping suddenly enough that Y/N slammed into his back. It wasn’t enough to send her falling like when she ran into… whatever that skeleton at the park was called but that was mostly because of Pup’s grip on her.

“Good work Pup.” Blackberry was sitting on a chair, back to a dark wood desk. It seemed that this place was their room. Two beds, a queen on either side of the room, were pressed against the walls, two dressers pressed at the end, a window above each and in between flooding the room with plenty of light. A well loved fern with a nametag Y/N could barely make out sat under the middle window.

It was really easy to tell which side of the room belonged to which brother. Pup’s side was in a state of not-quite-messy. Slightly rumpled sheets lay uneven on the bed, pillows uneven and off center, the dresser scratched on one side with a matching dent in the wall from being bumped too many times. A single sock lay on the floor on the right side of the plant, technically on pup’s side. An old folding table and plastic chair were scratched and doodled on, cheap but obviously well loved. Instead of a bookshelf, piles of papers and books, some crumbled and some almost neat, were stacked all over the desk and lying on the floor. A lot of numbers on it, scribbled with no trace of neatness. From what she could make out, it was something about finances?

On the other hand, Blackberry’s side was a living contradiction. His desk was shined to perfection, his dresser neat as it could be, the bed with a neatness only seen when at the store on display…at the same time, it was also messy. Fabrics were folded tidely, but placed almost haphazardly. Rolls of ribbons and thread here and there, some even rolling to Pup’s side. One particularly bright spool of thread just barely peeking out under the dresser. Did Blackberry sew? Y/N had no idea… maybe he could teach her? She did have a skill for that now…

“Human! Pay Attention!” Blackberry snapped, drawing Y/N from her observation. Blinking rapidly, Y/N turned back to the impatient skeleton.

“Sorry, Blacky. Just admiring the scenery.” Y/N meant the room, she really did. Of course, why would anyone take it that she just meant the room? It had a great color palette of navy blues and purple complimented by Pup’s almost burnt orange. Still, complimenting someone, even if you didn’t mean it was a good thing.

“Oh.” Not-Razz was quiet for about a millisecond before he pulled himself together, “Regardless, I demand you stay here and let me measure you.” He said in what was probably meant to be an authoritative voice. His height wasn’t helping, like at all.

“Aw, Blacky. If you wanted to hang out, you could’ve just asked.” The way Blackberry’s face turned purple and he puffed up like an angry bird was honestly adorable. Pup seemed to think the same as he giggled in a not-so-quiet manner. From his bed...when did he move?

“Stop calling me that!” Not-Razz barked, standing swiftly.

“Okay Not-Razz, I’ll stop calling you that.” Y/N replied with a grin. Blackberry got right up in her face.

“Do not call me  _ that _ either!” He growled, eye’s flashing in a way that Y/N could tell meant he wasn’t really threatening her for the nickname, but just didn’t like it. Or maybe she was reading him wrong… probably that.

“Alright Sparkles, have it your way.” Y/N smiled serenely. Blackberry screamed. Y/N broke, Pup broke, they laughed. Full on belly laughs that took the breath out of Y/N’s lungs and whatever Pup had instead of lungs.

Blackberry stomped against the ground, growling and snarling but not actually doing anything to Y/N. While that didn’t seem like much to anyone else, the fact that he wasn’t attacking her for the nickname like how Carrot had nearly done was telling enough.

“I-i’m--- S-sorry.” Y/N choked out, why she even found  _ Sparkles _ anger so funny was something that she didn’t even know. It was probably hysteria… maybe… Y/N was going to ignore that and focus on that fact it was funny and not why it was funny.

By the time their laughter had subsided, and Pup had stammered his own apologies, Blackberry had simmered down. Pulling herself together, Y/N moved to join Pup on his bed, not wanting to ruin the odd perfect-ness of Blackberry’s.

“No.” Blackberry snapped, stopping Y/N in her tracks, “Come here. Your wardrobe is pitiful. You do not even have anything for formal events. The great and magnificent Blackberry will not be seen with his allies looking so drab.” Blackberry said it like Pup didn’t just wear his hoodie over literally everything he wore including suits. It was, like, one of the only things Y/N remembered about Pup.

“Aw, you do care.” Y/N meant it to be teasing but there was a warmth to her words that she couldn’t really hide. Blackberry heard it, Pup heard it. None of them mentioned it. Just like how no one mentioned how much Blackberry actually cared, or how smart Pup actually was despite how he acted.

Having her measurements taken was weird. Y/N had never had anything fitted or made for her before. Except a couple scarves made by her Nana but that was different. There just wasn’t enough money nor reason to have a specially fitted dress or pants or anything like that.

Rather than make any sort of conversation, the three of them were mostly silent. Y/N humming softly to herself, letting her body be manipulated for Blackberry’s measurements. The scratching of Blackberry’s pencil when he wrote something down. The sound of tapping and Pup played on his phone or clicking when he used his calculator and wrote a number down on one of many of the random papers strewn about his side of the room.

In a word, it was nice. Even as Blackberry’s grumbling got louder, brainstorming what he could make for her. Or at least that was sort of what it sounded like. Something about fabrics and textures, color theory and thread width. Nothing Y/N really understood.

“Do you think you could teach me how to sew?” Y/N tentatively broke the silence as Blackberry seemed to near the end of his constant measurements. Blackberry paused, even Pup’s phone game went silent as the lanky skeleton twisted on his bed to look at her.

“...Why?” Blackberry asked. The real question was why the skeleton seemed so confused. It wasn’t like Y/N had asked him to explain string theory or something.

“It seems like a good skill to have I guess. Useful. I like the idea of being able to make my own clothes. I’d never have to go shopping again.” Y/N grinned at her silly joke at the end. 

“Right.” Blackberry droned, rolling his eyes. “You can go now.” He pushed her back lightly, turning back to his desk and scribbling some things down.

“What? Can’t I stay?” Y/N pouted. She didn’t want to interact with the rest of the house!

“Nope! It’s A Surprise!” Pup threw in from the bed, rolling back over to tap away on his phone.

“And late.” Blackberry added in, Y/N only then realizing it was 9 pm. “Go to bed.”

Yeah no, Y/N decided as she sullenly left the room. There was no way she was doing that. No way she could sleep in  _ this _ house surrounded by  _ these _ people. Physically impossible at this point, she was sure.

So, instead, she would just… go to the gym maybe? Nah. Her physical stats were fine. Her intelligence, on the other hand, felt painfully low. Thankfully, Y/N could easily find the library with the power of her GPS.

Making up her mind, Y/N easily slipped out of the house out the back door. Would the front door have been easier? Absolutely not. As far as Y/N was there, the couch skeleton was still there and Y/N would really rather let sleeping skeletons lie.

**-=-=-=- *Possibly necessary warning: Death, Blood, Kidnapping and all that good stuff. Skip to next section if you don’t wanna read that* -=-=-=-**

It was cold, colder than she expected. The breeze of the day only makes the night colder. Her clothes weren’t entirely fit for this. Hell, she was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, most things would be better for the cold. Y/N wasn’t about to turn around and go back inside though.

Worse yet, Y/N had never been good at reading maps, which sadly included GPS. It was probably why no one ever let her give directions in her past life. At least she’d never have to deal with that being joked about again, right?

Nope, wrong. Cause Y/N was still going to make self-centered jokes about that because Yay for pessimism or something like that. Hip-hip hooray? Ha, no.

The GPS led her down an unfamiliar route. Twists and turns she didn’t recognize leaving a bad feeling in Y/N’s gut. Then again, that always happened when Y/N was someone she wasn’t familiar with. So she just shrugged it off and followed directions.

By her magical luck, Y/N someone managed to get turned around by following the GPS. The only reason she realized she was lost was because the GPS was stuck on ‘rerouting’ mode after taking a wrong turn.

Shivering, Y/N took a turn into an alley to try and stave off the worst of the wind that chilled her to her bones. This was by far the worst alley she’d been in since getting her, dirty and caked in mysterious substances. Not the best place to be.

Frowning, Y/N braced herself against the winds and made her way back out.

She only managed the edge of the alley before someone grabbed her from behind, put a cloth over her mouth, and held her close. Close to a body that was warm yet oh so cold. Y/N screamed, struggled, but it only made her need to breathe  _ in _ stronger.

Y/N is stronger, oh so strong. Stronger than most could ever dream to be. But even with the game system and being revived, she’s only human. Humans needed to breathe.

Her body went slack, her vision blurred and blacked, against her will she took that fatal breath. Then… Y/N was gone.

Darkness encompassed her, so familiar to the first time she died but so different. She could feel the scratching in her lungs, could taste the iron on her touch, could feel every ache and pain and burn from a rope tied too tightly to the chair beneath her. At least the chair was soft… but that was the best thing about the situation.

Y/N groaned, the sound muffled by a gag in her mouth. She moved her head, tried to squint through the darkness of the so warm yet too cold room. It was impossible, her vision blurry and head pounding.

Then the lights flicked on. Bright, far too bright, aggravating her migraine and making it a struggle to even stay awake. The most she could see were the walls and floor of an unfinished basement filled with items, likely having been used as a storage area.

“Oh! You’re awake!” An unfamiliar voice rang out, piercing with how loud it was. Y/N flinched, fighting to keep her eyes open long enough to see her captor. She froze. No, no no.

A tall, unfamiliar skeleton stood in front of her. Not as tall as Cotton or Jakobar, only a little above 6 feet for sure. A hood with a long cloak, split down the middle almost like tails, mostly obscured his face. The bunny ears on his hood were odd, but Y/N wasn’t about to wonder why they were there so much as why he kidnapped her. Other than the dark purple hood, the rest of his clothes were entirely black. A black long sleeve, black slacks, black shoes. Who was this? Why had he taken her? What was he going to  _ do _ to her?

Anything Y/N tried to say was muffled by the gag, indecipherable. No pleads, no questions, no cries for help. No way to get help. Even if Y/N went into the  **Pause** room, she was positive that would just prolong the inevitable. There was no way to move in the room that would affect her position outside it. Not that Y/N even knew if the ropes or gag would come with her. Things she touched usually seemed too, otherwise she’d be naked when in it.

“Ah, ah, ah! No Need To Speak Now Little One.” The skeleton smiled serenely down at her, mocking her. A skeletal hand reaching up to grab at her chin, clawed thumb brushing against her cheek. Y/N pressed herself back into the chair, desperately trying to get away from him.

“Tell Me,” Her captor began, voice airy and soft, “Do You Know Why You’re Here? Who I Am?” His grip got tighter as he spoke, voice turning harsher but still maintaining that lofty, breathless tone.

Y/N couldn’t help but tremble under his gaze, mismatched purple and green eyes boring into her in a way that felt… oddly familiar. Still, she couldn’t put a name to his face, she had no clue who this man was. Y/N shook her head.

Her captor growled, grip tightening enough for his claws to break her skin. Y/N whimpered. He jerked his hand away, twisting on his heel to pace the room. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? Should Y/N know him?

“You Don’t Know Me?” The skeleton threw his arms up, “Of Course You Don’t Know Me! Why Would You Know Me. Why Would My Brother Even Bother To Mention Me The Ungrateful Brat! I Should’ve Just Torn His Legs From His Body. Then He’d Never Be Able To Leave Me Again!” Her captor started laughing, a high pitched hysterical sound.

Abruptly, he turned towards Y/N, who couldn’t run as he stalked towards her. “ **_You_ ** ” He growled, manhandling her, claws tearing into her skin like a hot knife through butter. She could feel the blood start to trickle down her arms, still slowly dripping down her cheek from the first wound.

“Why Does He Like  **_You_ ** So Much? I Am His  **_Brother_ ** . He Only Needs  **_Me_ ** . Why Does He Even Care For  **_You?_ ** Why Did You Get In The Way? Why Does He Care For You?  **_Why Did He Leave Me?_ ** ” Y/N could feel herself shaking, growing dizzy even as all she could focus on were those dark, inky black eye sockets.

“He Has **_Everything_** He Needs Here. Why Does He Always ** _Leave?_** I Give Him **_Everything!_** He **_Doesn’t Need YOU! I AM ALL HE NEEDS_** ” Y/N heard a snap, pain racing up her arms as the bones in her lower arm gave out under the pressure. A scream ripped from her throat, still muffled from the gag and with no way to be heard.

Tears flowed freely down her face, it all hurt so much. Her head was swimming, the dark feeling in her chest stronger than ever. Fear. Why had it taken Y/N so long to realize that dark feeling, that froze her veins, that frayed her nerves, that made her run and fight was fear? 

Her captor jerked back, staring at her claws, then the tears in her eyes. The fear caked across her face. Y/N could barely see him through her blurry eyes, much less make out the look of disgust and sick satisfaction on his face.

“I-I’ll Show Him.” Her captor’s voice rose in pitch, losing its harsh tone and gaining an undertone of laughter and hysteria. His face lighting up like he’d just made the greatest discovery since sliced bread.

“I’ll Show Zenerith That He Doesn’t Need You. He  **_Doesn’t Need You. HE WILL NEVER NEED YOU._ ** ” There was no laughter, no mad cackle over overdramatic explanation of what he would do to her. No final call to anyone who would care for her. Just an ever growing darkness, pain, and the fear that had always lingered in her chest slowly coming over her.

The skeleton ripped the gag from her mouth. Y/N coughed, desperately sucking in some much needed air. A mixture of blood and spit left her mouth with each harsh cough. She wasn’t able to say anything before a scream was torn from her throat.

A sharp pike made of what could only bone ripped through the chair, piercing her stomach and going all the way through. Her mind hyper focused, an uneasy gaze watching her blood drip down it, almost hearing the droplets hit the floor.

Her captor didn’t say a word, no insane ramblings or maniacal laughter at her pain, no taunting for what she was going through. None of that movie shit you see about this type of stuff, certainly no sick kind of romance. Just stone cold silence and a burning gaze boring through her soul.

Hell, as far as Y/N would know, her captor had left the room. She certainly wasn’t aware enough of the situation to be aware of anything but the bone stabbed through her stomach.

Nothing else was done to her, not that she could tell beyond the broken bones and slices on her arms and cheek. Seconds stretched to hours. Forever passing by as Y/N lay in that chair, in pain with fleeing vision and short gasping breaths.

In reality, it only took about two minutes for Y/N to pass. Two horrible, agonizing minutes before her vision gave up and she took her last breathe. Leaving behind nothing but a mangled corpse and a blood soaked chair dripping blood slowly onto the floor.

**-=-=-=- Gore Warning Over -=-=-=-**

**GAME OVER**

**Ending: Three’s A Crowd**

**Description: After getting too close to [Zenerith Dwith], it angers his brother [???] who is obsessed with having his brother be solely his own. Due to Y/N not diffusing the situation by ?#@$*()%@# with [???], a bad end occurred.**

**Consequences: Y/N dies. Cherry is heartbroken and gets consoled by Red. They end up married, have three kids and a suburban house. Y/N is forgotten. Swirlby is stricken by what happened to someone who he considered a friend, but figures he didn’t know you that well and never learned why he was so heartbroken. Violet [???] was sad but, hey, business is business. Blackberry and Pup didn’t want to handle it. They moved away and were never heard from again**

**END**

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**Legendary Item Found [Trusted Ribbon]**

**Use?**

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**Legendary Item [Trusted Ribbon] Used**

**Uses left: 4**

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**Rebooting Game**

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Y/N woke up on a bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An odd stranger strikes up a conversation on the bus, Reader should...  
> A) Talk with him  
> B) Ignore him  
> C) Insult him
> 
> New friends! Or are they old enemies? Hard to tell. Either way, Reader should act...  
> A) Flirty  
> B) Cold  
> C) Ignore them
> 
> Familiar faces, familiar places, Reader should...  
> A) Try and get to know her old friends again  
> B) Try and find her old place of work  
> C) Try to get to know the new Protagonist


	11. New Friends, Old Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dying... well it's certainly something. Second time through and Y/N can't say she knows how to describe it. Let's home this run through goes a little nicer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should be sad that Y/N died but really, I'm just excited because of all the new possibilities this has opened up for me.
> 
> Oh, and for you guys.
> 
> Happy voting :)

_ Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. _

Y/N woke suddenly with a jerk and gasp, banging her head on the window as she went. Breathing out a soft curse, one hand went up to cradle her hand. The other went to her stomach, clawing against the spot where she could’ve sworn was a spike going through it. Where the hell was she? Didn’t she just die?

Lumpy, deep blue seats lined in rows around her, a few metal poles running from the floor to the ceiling for people to grab onto. Though as far as she could see, there wasn’t really anyone else here. Above her, a fishnet shelf held what looked like two suitcases, between her legs a white backpack. She was on a bus?

The bus rattled around her, not obvious unless she placed a hand over the window or the bus ran over bumps in the road. It was uncomfortable, smelled weird, and was undeniably a bus. A bus, despite having been in a barren, musty basement bleeding out moments before.

How? Why? She died, AGAIN! Practically twice in the same week! Did she even live a week? Y/N couldn’t say. The days had sort of blurred together. One after another with little way to tell where one ended and another began.

“Howdy! Where are you going, stranger?” A cheerful voice whistled into her ear, a hand slapping her back hard enough to leave a stinging feeling behind. Y/N jerked up, back going completely straight before she pulled herself together and forced her to relax.

Turning towards the stranger, Y/N froze because god dammit why? She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from cursing out loud. Why did basically everyone she met have to be a skeleton? Why? Why does this always happen?

Well, at the very least the skeleton beside her was much different than the other two breeds of them she’d seen. Rather than be tall and lanky or short and tubby, he was short and lanky. Thin but only looking to be at most four feet tall. It made him the shortest skeleton she’d ever met. Hell, Y/N would think he was a child if not for the fact his voice was too deep for that. Not to say he had a deep voice, but he’d obviously gone through puberty and just remained tiny.

Black splotches were sprinkled over his face, the biggest of which rested on his cheek. It almost gave the look of freckles if Y/N squinted. His eyes were not only two different colors, blue and yellow, but oddly enough also two different shapes. Which made less sense to Y/N than anything else she knew of skeleton biology. One eyelight was a yellow stay with a smaller orangish star in it. The other a blue circle with a greenish oval in it.

His outfit was pretty odd two. Mostly brown, such as his jacket, boots and skirt, but also white in the form of his t-shirt. Cyan, maybe teal, stripes ran through the whole design, all centered around an odd leather sash going from his right shoulder to left hip. Bone shaped glass vials were tucked into it, each with a different color of paint. A few pencils and some charcoals were there too, dusting the jacket darker with charcoal dust.

“Uhm, oh, H-hi,” Y/N winced as her voice cracked, throat feeling like it should be sore but it wasn’t, “I’m Y/N… Wyles. I’m uh, getting off...soon? What about you?” Y/N stumbled out a sentence, being vague because she had no idea what was going on.

“Well, you’re right there! You’re getting off at the next stop Y/N! Avon Plaza. Don’t miss it!” the small skeleton seemed very invested about where Y/N was going… wait how did he know where she was going? Y/N didn’t know where she was going.

“H-how do you know that?” Y/N stammared, feeling caged in by the skeleton who had suddenly appeared in the seat next to her. Now that she was thinking about it, where did he come from? The bus was basically deserted. Hell, Y/N hadn’t even seen a driver.

“I know a lot of things! Or at least I should. My memory’s kinda bad, like yours! But my reason isn’t a low INT stat.” He teased, poking Y/N in the side while getting uncomfortably close to her face.

Y/N flinched at the touch, hand going to cover the spot he touched. She pressed herself as far away from the small skeleton as she could. The too-warm metal of the bus seeping through her still blood-soaked shirt, the bus rumbling at every little movement.

“Who are you?” Y/N couldn’t help the pleading tone to her voice, not the way it shook. Something was off about the skeleton, she could feel it. Y/N had no idea  _ what _ , but something was awfully, horribly  _ wrong _ with him.

“Me? Oh! Well, you couldn’t understand that. But I guess you can call me Ink! Ink… Magication! Yeah, I like that. Or maybe even Inky. I mean you did call  _ him _ Sparky. Good one with that!” He, Ink?, let out a short laugh at that. It was bright, cheery… it felt hollow.

The bus swam in place around her, the bumps and rumbling not doing well for her. Vision blurring, Y/N almost felt she was going to throw up, saliva gathering in her mouth faster than it felt she could swallow.

“Oh, I need to go now, don’t I? Yeah, yeah. I know. Well, one last thing! The scenario changes each time we have to do this. So try not to do it again, mkay? Our game’s already annoying **_him_** more than anyone should really do. Ta ta!” Ink faded from her vision. Or rather, her vision faded completely.

Y/N blinked, and she was back. Well, not  _ back _ back but her vision was okay again. Her head didn’t feel too well, her stomach twisted in knots, and the noise of other passengers made her ears ring but she was ‘back’.

Wait, other passengers? Wasn’t she just alone? Sure enough, the bus was now bustling with passengers. Almost filled to the brim with people standing and filling almost every available seat. The one beside her was blissfully empty, but probably because the white backpack that had been between her legs was nestled on it.

Taking several shaking breathes, Y/N tugged the backpack closer to her. Quickly using it to access her inventory, she found it void of most of the things she’d bought. There was just the ribbons, the guitar oddly enough, her phone, and $200. Nothing more, nothing less.

Looking above her again, Y/N figured ‘her’ clothes were in the two suitcases she’d seen above her head. Both a wine red with a tag clipped onto them. Squinting her eyes, she could barely make out her name due to how bent it was. So, yeah, those were probably her’s.

Sighing, Y/N reached up to rub at her eyes… and smacked her hand into a pair of thin black glasses nestled squarely on her nose. Wait, what? She didn’t need glasses. Yet, when Y/N took them off she could tell her vision had gotten worse. Enough so that she’d need glasses to read at any significant distance.

Okay, that wasn’t her choice but she could work with this. Even if having glasses would probably be a bad thing during a life or death situation. Like, what if someone kidnapped her and snapped them? She wouldn’t be able to see. Well, at least not well. Did she have contact lenses?

If she did, they weren’t in the backpack. They were probably in one of the two suitcases, likely in a bathroom bag of some sort. Y/N sighed. Well, the glasses were going to be annoying to get used to but, hey, she could deal with that. Magically needing glasses was the least weird thing she’d experienced recently.

Though, if she was suddenly wearing glasses, had her clothes changed too? She hadn’t been paying attention. Although it was obvious the answer was yes. A butter yellow cropped hoodie Y/N would have never bought with ‘Feeling Good’ scrawled in white cursive over the breasts, high waisted blue jean shorts that ended too short for her liking and showed off a bit more bulge than she was comfortable with, yellow and white polka dot leggings, and a pair of white adidas with rainbows printed all over them. All in all, not something Y/N would ever wear on her own.

God, she felt so exposed. Y/N couldn’t help but shiver, moving her arms to cover as much of her exposed, no-longer-with-a-bloody-hole-through-it navel as she could. Still, when the bus ground to a halt, Y/N was a tad distracted and nearly fell off her seat from the sudden jolt forward. Not very fun. Definitely very embarrassing.

Heart caught in her throat, Y/N stood, legs shaking. Her hands fumbled for the back pack beside her, zipping it and slipping it over her shoulders. Her hair wasn’t against her neck, which was weird because it certainly hadn’t been  _ that _ short. Rather, it had been pulling up into two buns on her head, weren’t they called space buns or something? So, her hair had changed against her will too.

Swallowing thickly, shaking hands reached and grabbed at the two suitcases that apparently belonged to her. They were heavy with stuff. What exactly that stuff was, Y/N didn’t...know?

  
As soon as she’d thought that, a screen had popped up above either suitcase Y/N was touching. Their inventory? The larger one was indeed mostly clothes, but also had the bathroom bag she was wondering about in it. The smaller of the two was filled with other things like a laptop, a stylus, cords, rather large makeup bag that Y/N felt she would never use, and a lot of drawing supplies Y/N knew she would never use, she couldn’t draw. The sheet music was good though. She could play that with her Guitar.

People spilled out of the bus as fast as they could. To be fair, Y/N couldn’t blame them. The bus was stuffy, uncomfortable, and left Y/N feeling like she was going to hurl… or that could just be the whole dying thing… It was probably the whole dying thing.

The air was warm, a sort of thick warmness that was like breathing soup from how humid it was. The sun beat down on her from above, scorching the sidewalk beneath her feet. All in all, it was sweltering. If it weren’t for the fact this was apparently a new ‘scenario’, Y/N would have no idea how it was so hot despite having been cold before.

Maybe her outfit wasn’t so bad then, even if the thicker fabric of the cropped hoodie was still making Y/N sweat. Where was she supposed to go? This was, apparently, her stop. It looked like she’d apparently just gotten off a plane from the fact she was at a bus terminal and could see the airport.

Just as Y/N was about to pick a direction and start walking, a voice rang out clear and high. “Darling! There you are!” Y/N turned to see a bouncy woman bounding towards her, looking very happy to see her… who was that? She didn’t look familiar in the slightest.

“H-hey Doll.” Y/N gave an awkward smile, feeling light headed and all together not very good. The woman gave her a one armed hug, giving her a ‘probably’ friendly peck on the cheek.

The woman was tanned, like she’d been sun tanning for the past several years. She looked only to be a little shorter than Cherry but was nothing like Cherry. Her hair was a bright blonde spun in large curls that tumbled down her back. Y/N couldn’t tell what color her eyes were, expensive sunglasses blocking them.

Actually, pretty much everything about the woman was expensive. A white cropped spaghetti strap tank top trimmed with what looked to be actual gold. Super short light blue jean shorts looked to barely fit, the ‘stylish’ rips in them wholly unnecessary. Light faux-leather heeled sandals with pearls on the strap adorned tiny feet. Light pink lip gloss, perfect contour, thin, full in all the right places, flawless manicure  _ and _ pedicure. All in all, this was your stereotypical perfect pretty girl.

“Ugh, you look  _ horrid _ ,” The woman,  **_Ruth_ ** , started fitzing with Y/N’s hair that, in Y/N’s opinion, looked pretty damn good, “I  _ knew _ I should’ve convinced mom to let us send the private jet. You never do well on public transport.”

“Guess Auntie doesn’t think I need it?” How Y/N was pulling these relations from her head, she had no idea. Considering everything else, divine intervention was probably a big factor to it.

“Ridiculous! I say that if we have the money to do it. We do it! I can’t see why she doesn’t think you need it babe.” Ruth pouted. With a self-satisfied hum, she backed off of Y/N.

“Regardless of what Mother thinks, we still have our cheafurr. Come now, Reginald is waiting.” Ruth said with a sing-songy voice and a light giggle, turning on her heel to bounce off towards a large limousine Y/N had no idea how she missed.

Stumbling after Ruth, legs shaking all the while, Y/N couldn’t help but feel immediately uncomfortable. From Ruth’s 24k golden accessories to the limo with actual leather seats to everything in between, the whole situation felt far too  _ rich _ for Y/N. It left a sour taste in her mouth.

Sparkling water, fast paced pop music, and fancy tiny sandwiches were provided in the extremely fancy limo. Hell, there was a glass table in the middle that after about three inches of space to place things dropped off into an exposed ice chest of sorts that cycled through colors to glow. Was that  _ wine _ ?

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either! Mama let me use her  _ personal _ limo to pick you up! I would’ve gone with the Bentley personally. I know how much you like that thing.” Ruth teased, reclining along the seat, sipping sparkling faux la croix water.

What does a Bentley even look like? Y/N knew it was an expensive car brand but she couldn’t say she’d seen one in her  _ life _ …  _ Any _ of her lives. Except this one apparently. This was going to take a  _ lot _ of getting used to.

Y/N mostly stayed silent for the car ride, trying to calm her beating heart. Her head still swam, but the AC in the limo helped immensely. The seats were soft and she wasn’t overheating. Y/N tried to focus on that rather than the fact that this was not just a game in her world but a game between gods that she was their favorite plaything in.

Ruth, much like Cherry, was a chatterbox but definitely to a lesser, if more confident, extent. While Cherry had seemed to talk on and on about everything under the sun, Ruth seemed to at the very least be able to stick to the same topic.

Of course, Y/N would rather not think about the topic Ruth  _ was _ talking about either. If her vocal cords decided to work themselves right, she’d change it. As it was, Y/N was stuck listening to Ruth gossip about her roommates and future coworkers.

Naturally, those were both the same thing  _ and _ the skeletons Y/N had had to deal with not so subtly threatening her before she died. Because, really, that was just Y/N’s luck. At least it was sort of amusing?

Like, apparently, Razzberry had once summoned one of his ‘blasters’, which were apparently like dragon skulls minus the horns that acted like dogs, and it got stuck in a plastic bag… while he was trying to intimidate someone. ‘Sans’ had gotten dyed red during a prank war, and summarily covered Honey in ketchup in revenge. Blueberry had once managed to smash every window in the house? And apparently had a “very weird friend who [Ruth] was certain was feral”.

So, there was that at least. If nothing else, Y/N could laugh at the stupid things these skeletons did before they tried to kill her. Yeah, that would  _ not _ be fun. Not at all, whatsoever, in fact Y/N couldn’t think of anything  _ less _ fun.

“Oh! I just can’t wait for us to start interning at Avon together Baby! It’s going to be so much fun  _ and _ we’ll get paid for it! Aren’t ya excited?” Ruth gushed, practically throwing herself over Y/N.

“Huh?” Y/N startled, “Oh, yeah. I can’t believe I got in.” Interning? At Avon? Wasn’t that the vague company everyone worked at in the original game that only existed so they could have jobs? What did they even do?

“I know right? With my GPA I couldn’t flip burgers at Wickdonalds!” Is that what they’re calling Macdonald’s now? “But, hey, at the very worst we’re being used as eye candy. Ya hear me?” Ruth poked Y/N’s cheeks.

“Ha, yeah.” Y/N gave a strained laugh. She was feeling really tired again. Like, that same existential tiredness where her body was fine but her mind was exhausted. If only Y/N could take, like, a spiritual name. Or maybe just fall into a coma and not have to deal with any of this. That would be grand.

Hours past, or maybe just half of one, it was hard to tell and all Y/N could say was that Ruth talked during basically all of it. Outside the window, the environment changed from roads, to downtown, to apartments, and eventually they reached a gated community. Not just any gated community though. Y/N could tell as soon as they entered that this was the kind of gated community where all the top 1% rich people had homes.

B 

Large mansions with pools and extortionate yards. Each one looked to cost more than everything Y/N owned. Which admittedly wasn’t much since at this point she didn’t even really own her own life. But still, they were worth millions at least.

Though the mansions still seemed to pale in comparison to the one they rolled up on. It was quite a drive in the community, through another gate, and hidden by trees. Eventually, they came to a cliffside mansion.

Calling it a cliffside mansion doesn’t even begin to describe it. The lower floor was built into the mansion, visible as the driveway curved around to reach it. The mansion itself had two floors that were above the cliff, so at least three in total but likely more cause rich people.

It was definitely a modern design, with all that geometric crap Y/N always saw in them. White and gray and light brown wood exterior that looked to be a pain to clean, large windows covering the side that the sun would set on. Hell, they probably owned the forest around the mansion too. Y/N couldn’t even begin to guess how expensive this place must be.

“Finally!” Ruth sighed, clambering out of the limo like it had been as uncomfortable as the van Y/N’s family used to use during family gatherings. Which wasn’t even near to being the truth. That limo was the most comfortable yet uncomfortable thing Y/N had even been in.

Walking up to the mansion made Y/N feel tiny, towering over her by dozens of feet. So maybe it wasn’t just two floors above the cliff. Maybe four? Something like that. Ruth marched up to it fearlessly and pushed the doors open with a dramatic huff, leaving Y/N to trail behind her slowly.

The inside of the mansion was just as impressive as the outside. A spiral staircase went up to a balcony that wrapped around the large living room, though the majority of the second floor was reserved for the vaulted ceiling. There was one seating area facing a large tv. Then there was another one that was facing a glass window that was really just a glass wall with a large balcony with a fire pit surrounded by chairs. Somehow, it didn’t feel cluttered. Almost two spacious actually.

Off to the right, past the spiral staircase was the hallway and the kitchen viewed through another ‘wall’ that was just made of glass. A lot of the place was made of glass and that made Y/N oddly nervous. The kitchen was even bigger and fancier than the one at the last house. Large island, marble counters, stainless steel appliances, a  _ smart fridge _ . Who even needs a fridge that can use Twitter? Or Chipper or whatever it was in this world?

Further than that, Y/N couldn’t see much but a fancy stone wall that could’ve had a TV room or a staircase or some doors or something. If she ignored the large, expensive parts of the house, the color palette was kind of boring. Whites and grays with the occasional but very rare pops of red. Nothing to really look at. It almost made Y/N’s eyes just skip over the whole place.

“I thought I told them to be here so I could introduce them to you Darling! Ugh, those boys can never get anything done, can they?” Ruth whined, pacing around the place, adjusting pillows and dusting the backs of couches with her hands.

“It’s ok-” “No it’s not okay! They promised!” Ruth interrupted Y/N, voice rising in pitch as she seemed to get very worked up about this. Even though the two of them had just gotten there. Y/N didn’t really get it but, well, Y/N didn’t ‘get’ a lot of things.

“Woah, calm down there Bunny. We’re right here.” A deep scratchy voice drawled as… Y/N was pretty sure that was Mutt, meandered down the stairs, taking his sweet time. It was definitely Mutt, not Pup. The color palette was wrong for Pup and Mutt had a deeper scar  _ and _ stunk of cigarette smoke. Hell, Y/N could smell him from here/

“YES YES, BLAME MUTT HERE. HE WOULD NOT GET DRESSED FOR OUR GUEST.” Razz stomped down with a huff. This had to be the first time Y/N had seen him and he wasn’t in uniform. He was wearing some rather fancy, form fit clothes. Deep red button up, black slacks with a belt, shined shoes. Too dressed up in Y/N opinion but she was never big on that type of thing.

Mutt looked normal, so that was probably just what he always wore. Funny because he was basically wearing pajamas with his t-shirt and sweatpants combo. Now that was what Y/N usually wore on any given day.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re looking just  _ fine _ .” Y/N give Razzberry a smile, praying that the smaller skeleton wouldn’t hate her right off the bat this time. Razzberry scoffed, rolling his eyelights.

“OF COURSE I LOOK FINE. THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE RAZZBERRY WOULD NATURALLY LOOK NOTHING LESS!” Razzberry spoke like it was a fact. Sort of how one would talk about gravity, it will always be true and always has been.

Slowly but surely, skeleton after skeleton trickled down the stairs, even a couple Y/N could swear didn’t live in the house before. As they came, Ruth seemed to relax. She even returned to Y/N’s side, buddying up as if to show Y/N off.

The skeleton’s took up various places in the room, most of them in pairs but not all of them. Laying on the couch, just standing off to the side, so on and so forth. There were quite a few of them. Maybe a dozen? All skeletons, mostly all familiar.

Ruth clapped her hands, “Alright hunnies! As I’m sure you all know by now, this is my cousin Y/N.” She placed her hands on Y/N dragging her in front of Ruth as if to show her off.

There was a course of hellos, some lazy, some loud, and even a wolf whistle from Red which was odd. Though he was quickly shut up but a smack from Edge  _ and _ a mystery skeleton Y/N didn’t know but was sure wasn’t in the old house. It made her feel so exposed.

“Y/N, hun, you are going to love it here. Right, so, first things first, this right here is Sans,” Ruth gestured to a shorter stocky skeleton, looking to be a bout 5’4 if Y/N had to guess. He wore a well loved blue hoodie, black shorts, and untied gray and blue sneakers. His eyelights were hazy, like he wasn’t able to focus on her. “Yo.” His voice had almost a deep rumble to it, was that a new yorker accent?

“And his younger brother Papyrus.” Despite being the younger brother, Papyrus was  _ much _ taller than Sans. At the very  _ least _ six feet tall. He wore a crop top that nearly exposed his bottom rib, blue jeans rather than shorts like before, and a pair of deep red boots with teeny tiny kitten heels. “HELLO HUMAN!” Y/N flinched, his voice was almost pleasant if it weren’t for the fact he was so damn loud.

“Then there’s Honey, or Stretch, he goes by both.” Carrot looked about the same as before, his hoodie was a brighter shade of orange though and overall it seemed cleaner. Y/N met his eyelights, calculating as they were, and froze. Her immediate idea to cover up said freeze was to wink quickly and look away.

“His little brother Blueberry!” Blue was another Y/N had never seen out of uniform. He wasn’t dressed nearly as fancy as Razz. Instead he was just wearing a simple gray t-shirt and darker gray shorts combo with tightly laced leather boots. Instead of his blue neckerchief like before, it was replaced by a cyan scarf that had somehow been tied into a bow. “Hi New Human!” Blueberry sounded breathless and very excited. Y/N smiled and waved politely.

“You’ve already met Mutt and Razz,” Mutt gave her a wink, Y/N just gave him a small wave and a glare that didn’t do exactly what she wanted it to do by his expression. Razz got a similar treatment but mostly because he looked her up and down and just huffed. Like she wasn’t nearly good enough to even be looked at.

“Red and Edge, I have no idea who’s older there though.” Red’s hoodie lacked any sort of fluff from last time, a lot less red and a lot more gold. Hell the only red was his t-shirt, which had been a turtleneck before. Edge looked as menacing as always and was decked out in a lot more black leather, just lacking a lot of the spikes that had screamed ‘Hot Topic’ or ‘Biker Gang’ as before. Red looked like he was about to try something, then didn’t. Smart move really.

“Blackberry is younger with these two I think, oh and the other one’s Pup!” The extreme similarity between these two and the ones’ that Y/N knew was enough to make her heart clench and her breath catch. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. It might’ve been the narrowed, untrusting glare or the fact the changes were distinct enough they were almost unfamiliar. Y/N hadn’t really been that close to the two, right?

“And these final two are Sugar and Spice!” Now these two skeletons were completely unfamiliar. Both were thin, with soft white bones that looked painstakingly cared for and carried a lavender tint to them. 

Sugar was the smaller of the two, looking entirely disinterested with his surroundings. He was more invested with his phone than her, barely even sparring Y/N a glance. Though, at a closer look, he seemed to be almost shaking slightly. Or were Y/N’s eyes just playing tricks on her? It was honestly hard to tell. He was wearing a cold-shoulder dark magenta hooded long sleeve with a slightly brighter cyan heart on it. It was somehow tight around his ribs while being looser around his wrists and hips. The most confusing part about this new skeleton was how the fuck he was managing to wear black tights. A skeleton. In tights. Y/N could see muscle definition and everything it didn’t make sense! How did a skeleton look better in tights than she did?

Spice matched the ‘tall and thin’ category for skeletons. He was distinctly different from the hyper subtype or lazy subtype Y/N had been unconsciously labeling them under though. He looked inviting at a glance, nice smile and semi-lidded -they didn’t have eyelids what the fuck?- eyes. But his posture wasn’t nearly as open as it seemed. Spice seemed...tense almost, subtly positioning himself in front of Sugar, which had drawn Y/N’s eyes to him in the first place. Spice was wearing a velvety purple tank top with a tight black long sleeve under it, almost perfectly blending into his matching tights which also looked better on him then they would ever on Y/N. Was it weird to be jealous of how clothes fit a skeleton? Probably. Also not the weirdest thing Y/N had experienced so far. So, really, she could ignore it.

“Now hun, follow me to your room. You are going to  _ love _ it here babes!” Ruth clapped her hands, quickly moving in front of Y/N and demanding her hands. Y/N stumbled as she was suddenly dragged forward.

“But-” “Forget the bags hun! The boys will get them! Right sweets?” Ruth didn’t wait for a reply before dragging Y/N away down the hall. Y/N gave her bags one last glance, locking eyes with Sans for a brief second as if to say ‘save me’, before she was pulled around the corner and out of sight.

**-=-=-=-**

The very fact that Ruth thought that some ‘friend’ or ‘cousin’ or whatever coming to live with them was important enough to make them  _ all _ take a day off was kind of ridiculous. Then again, Rosey’s way of overdramatizing things was what caught Sans’ attention in the first place. It was funny, amusing even. But only when it didn’t drag  _ him _ into it.

Y/N or whatever her name was? Not funny or particularly pretty looking or anything really. Or maybe she was? Red seemed to think so but Sans didn’t care about his opinion. Really, he wanted to just go back to work, that’s it. Or bed. Bed sounded good right about now.

So long as this cousin didn’t drag him into even more of Rosey’s ‘problems’, Sans would deal with them. He could like them, or not. But he didn’t really feel like interacting with… anyone right now really. Except Papyrus, there was always time for Papyrus.

Then again, maybe Y/N’s helpless look when she was dragged away was just a  _ little _ funny. Just a tad.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Sans Serif**

**Universe: Undertale Sans**

**HP: 1**

**REP: 2**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 30**

**Sanity: 75**

**Height: 5’ 4**

**Occupation: Scientist at Avon Inc.**

**He doesn’t know who you are, and really** **_really_ ** **doesn’t care**

**-=-=-=-**

Meeting new people was always fun! Especially if they were one of Rosie’s human friends! Or ‘Cousins’. Human relationship dynamics were kind of confusing. What precisely was a ‘cousin’? Rosey used it a lot when referring to them. Just another puzzle, Papyrus supposed.

The new human  _ seemed _ nice enough. Though they didn’t say much. Or do much. In fact, they almost seemed… scared? But that was ridiculous! There was no reason to fear the great Papyrus! Well, not yet.

Oh well! Maybe when they get to know each other better, the human would see the two of them would be the bestest of friends! Almost as much as Rosey! Well, so long as nothing  _ bad _ happened. 

Only time could really tell. Papyrus could wait. Papyrus was  _ patient _ .

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Papyrus Serif**

**Universe: Undertale Papyrus**

**HP: 480**

**REP: -5**

**Trust: -60**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 25**

**Sanity: 80**

**Height: 6’2**

**Occupation: Puzzle Maker for Avon Inc.**

**Why do you seem so scared? He doesn’t like it.**

**-=-=-=-**

He had never met a human that was quite like Rosey’s cousin. They were so  _ new _ , so  _ strange _ . Almost familiar in a way he didn’t quite like. Which was strange too! It wasn’t the glasses. Blueberry knew tons of humans with glasses. There was a surprising amount of them at work. It wasn’t the clothes either. The weather had a lot of humans wearing less clothes than usual.

It was something that made them familiar. Something that seemed so… similar to a person he’d never met and could only say about them that he didn’t like. But that was ridiculous! Blue just needed to give Rosey’s cousin a fair chance.

Blue just needs to figure out a way to remember their name. It kept slipping from him for some reason.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Blueberry Tiparo**

**Universe: Underswap**

**HP: 3o0**

**REP: 0**

**Trust: -80**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 45**

**Sanity: 60**

**Height: 5’8**

**Occupation: Chef/Security Guard at Avon Inc.**

**You seem so strange, like an odd puzzle he can’t make out. It’s new! He doesn’t like it.**

**-=-=-=-**

Huh, Rosey actually used the right name for him for once. Not that Honey particularly cared. Stretch, Honey, whatever the fuck you wanted to call him. Hell, insult him for all he cares, people have used curses to refer to him before so why not?

The new girl was interesting enough, bland overall but with that air of unfamiliar familiarity that rubbed him the wrong way. Like, seriously, this was a stranger so why? Why did Honey feel like they were about to do something? Nothing in particular, just  _ something _ . Oh well, she seemed nice enough. He’d be willing to give her a chance.

What’s the worst that could go wrong?

-=-=-=-

**Name: Honey Tiparo**

**Universe: Underswap**

**HP: 5**

**REP: 6**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 40**

**Sanity: 70**

**Height: 5’11**

**Occupation: HR Rep at Avon Inc.**

**You seem so strange… so familiar… but why?**

**-=-=-=-**

That Y/N person was exactly who he thought they’d be. Skimpy clothes, seductive looks, subtle flirtations. The only difference is, much like Ruth, Y/N  _ actually  _ looked almost decent. Enough for Red to try and offer something back.

Boss stopped him. Meh, it isn’t like he actually  _ likes _ the bitch he whistled at. Jesus Boss, no need to hit him so hard. He was just reciprocating. It’s been far too long since he got some action! 

Oh whatever, he’d live. There was other eye candy he could deal with at work. They’d be  _ more _ than willing.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Red Pismo**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 1**

**REP: -2**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 2**

**Danger Levels: 55**

**Sanity: 50**

**Height: 5’9**

**Occupation: ??? at Avon Inc.**

**You’re cute, he’ll give you that. Doesn’t mean he’s gonna like you.**

**-=-=-=-**

Not  _ another _ one. Weren’t there already enough people for him to clean up after? For fuck’s sake, this is just more work. The human would probably slack off like his miserable brother too. Not to mention they were going to start working in the same place as them…

Damnit, things are going to get complicated, aren’t they?

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Edge Pismo**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 600**

**REP: -5**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: -100**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 55**

**Height: 6’5**

**Occupation: Security Guard at Avon Inc.**

**As far as he cares, you’re just another human he has to deal with**

**-=-=-=-**

As much as he loved his gorgeous, competent girlfriend, Razzberry had to admit her  _ cousin _ was… Oh how to put it? Absolute garbage of a living being. Where was their sense of fashion? Their strength?

Sure, playing knight in terrifying armor to his amor was a favourite of his, Razz would  **_not_ ** stand doing so with this stranger. They would have to deal with everything on their own.

  
Either they would fall. Or they would  _ F A L L _ .

There wasn’t any other choice.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Razzberry Caractere**

**Universe: Fellswap**

**HP: 380**

**REP: -8**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 55**

**Sanity: 45**

**Height: 5’2**

**Occupation: Head of Security at Avon Inc.**

**Why must his love have such drab looking friends?**

**-=-=-=-**

Actually  _ enjoying _ his smoke break was something Mutt rarely got to do. To be dragged away from it for  _ this _ of all things? Really? Some cousin of his brother’s girlfriend who barely shared a  _ fraction _ of the looks?

Okay, maybe a bit more than what Mutt was giving her credit for but he’d still need a few more stiff drinks before he’d touch  _ that _ . He  _ could _ just be grumpy but… eh. Mutt would only  _ really _ be able to tell in about, oh, thirty-ish hours when he could finally get some fucking sleep.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Mutt Caractere**

**Universe: Fellswap**

**HP: 5**

**REP: -2**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 5**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 40**

**Height: 6’4**

**Occupation: Security Guard at Avon Inc.**

**Not another one**

**-=-=-=-**

What was that human phrase he heard so much about? Deja vu? The feeling that something was familiar despite never having experienced before? Or was that something else? Whatever it was, Blackberry was feeling it about this ‘Y/N’ person.

It was the first time he’d ever felt like this. He didn’t like it. Not at all, whatsoever. It made him feel like he’d lost something.

Blackberry had a feeling he wasn’t going to like this new human.

-=-=-=-

**Name: Blackberry Burim**

**Universe: Swapfell**

**HP: 400**

**REP: -10**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 55**

**Sanity: 45**

**Height: 5’0**

**Occupation: Security Guard at Avon Inc.**

**You’re so familiar but he can’t pinpoint why, he hates it.**

**-=-=-=-**

Pup didn’t know who you were. He only knew you as ‘Rosey’s cousin’. There was nothing else there. That’s what he kept telling himself. Why did it feel like a lie. Pup had always considered himself to have a very strong sixth sense. One he trusted to tell him when something was wrong. It was going off now, very strongly. He just couldn’t say why it was this stranger.

Y/N was new. Brand new. Never seen, never felt, just got into town. Why didn’t it feel like that? Why did it feel like he was seeing something he’d lost such a long time ago…

Why did it feel like whenever he met  **_-. .... --.. .- .-.. -.-- ?_ **

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Pup Burim**

**Universe: Swapfell**

**HP: 1**

**REP: 0**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 40**

**Sanity: 60**

**Height: 6’1**

**Occupation: Financial Analyst at Avon Inc.**

**You’re new, you aren’t new. Why don’t you feel new?**

**-=-=-=-**

You’re pretty. Really pretty. He’d give you that and not much else. There was much else to comment on, even if your stature was inviting in ways that were oh-so familiar to him. He didn’t like it.

He wanted to go back to bed.

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Sugar Aster**

**Universe: Underlust**

**HP: 1**

**REP: 0**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 15**

**Sanity: 60**

**Height: 5’3**

**Occupation: Stripper at Loveby’s Lovely Nightclub**

**Shivering**

**-=-=-=-**

This was what they were interrupted for? Spice had more important things to do. They had been busy damnit! They didn’t like the way this new human was eyeing their brother either. Sure, ‘Y/N’ was giving everyone that look but that didn’t mean Spice liked it any more.

Why could they just be left alone?

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Spice Aster**

**Universe: Underlust**

**HP: 400**

**REP: 0**

**Trust: 0**

**Possessiveness: -100**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 0**

**Danger Levels: 20**

**Sanity: 50**

**Height: 6’3**

**Occupation: Waiter at Loveby’s Lovely Nightclub**

**Helping his brother**

**-=-=-=-**

There was an elevator in the house. Y/N wasn’t sure why that stood out to her so much. This mansion was on god-knows-how-many acres or land and it was the elevator that stood out to her so much. The  _ elevator _ . At least she now knew the house had seven floors? The ground floor, two above that and four below that. Though apparently the bottom most one was just for maintenance to the pool area? If you have the money, Y/N guessed.

Everything was so different in this house from the other one. Just the sheer wealth of this mansion was probably the biggest part of it. If Y/N had thought the previous house was rich.

Between the manor and the last skeleton house, one thing remained the same. Y/N was still relegated to the top-most floor. Even then, floor level was exactly where the similarities ended. Her previous commodities paling in comparison to… well…  _ this _ .

Y/N’s previous living situation was cramped, dusty, old, and mainly slapped together with furniture that was inherited from a dead woman. Her new room was everything  _ but _ those things. Expansive, clean, brand spanking new, painstakingly put together, and stinking with the sheer amount of money stuffed into this one room.

Wooden floors, soft white walls with a marble accent wall that itself was accented with gold. Probably real white fur carpets laid on the floor around the bed. Speaking off, the bed was unnecessarily massive. Lots of pillows, soft and white, simple designs, and inspirational quotes that were designed like it was specifically for instagram pictures.

Hell, the majority of the room was like that. Sporting a soft green, gold, and white color palette, the room was an instagram star's dream. Fairy lights, throw pillows and throw blankets galore, full body mirrors practically designed for selfies. It had its own seating area, a kitchen that should be described as ‘small’ but, really, is just a normal sized kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony with a fucking  _ hot tub _ on it.

The kitchen was marble, stainless steel appliances, and an unnecessary amount of gold and diamond jeweled items with the walls covered in a pinterest board brought to life. The bathroom had the fanciest looking shower Y/N had ever seen and a large bathtub with jets she could drown in.

A large plasma tv, probably 4k because this family was obviously richer than Steve Jobs, with several gaming systems was set against the wall. It was visible from the bed, making the sitting area basically useless. Then there was the hot tub. Y/N would never get over the hot tub.

Y/N could practically taste the money put into this ‘bedroom’ with an on-suite bathroom and walk-in closet but, being honest with herself, this was just straight up a full on apartment. It didn’t feel like a studio apartment though. Definitely not her crappy little apartment. Too big and too expensive or Y/N to ever afford.

“So~?” Ruth drew out, looking expectantly at Y/N from the door. Y/N circled the room again, feeling almost too afraid of how expensive everything was to even touch anything. Eventually she settled down on the bed, trying her damndest not to fuck it up.

“It’s…” the bed felt soft, yet too unfamiliar to be comfortable, “a lot. This bed is going to need some breaking in too.” Y/N hummed, not wanting to tell the truth about just how uncomfortable existing in the room made her feel yet also not wanting to hurt Ruth’s feelings.

Ruth snickered, snorting softly. “Okay~ Don’t worry about staying quiet about that. The walls  _ should _ be soundproof.” What? What was she implying…!

Oh, it took Y/N far too long to realize the implications of that. Her body flushing, betraying exactly how she felt about that. “Ruth!” Her voice climbed a pitch and more than a few decibels.

Cackling in response, Ruth stumbled over the chair in her heels, turning and falling over it dramatically. Y/N fumed silently, burning over as Ruth struggled to calm her laughs. Before either could gather themselves, there was a knock at the door. 

Y/N reluctantly went to answer, being the only one of the two who could actually stand. Still flushed head to toe, desperately trying to pull her face into a look of neutrality, Y/N pulled open the door. She came face to chest with Edge.

No matter what scenario, the dude was as intimidating as always. Spikes or no spikes, the exaggerated fangs, scars, and constant glower made him look equal parts badass and bratty. So, really, was it worth it? Not like Y/N felt he could really change it.

Leaning against the door, Y/N spotted her luggage just behind him. “Draw the short straw, big guy?” Y/N tried to give him a sympathetic smile, the guy just seemed to get even more stiff.

“Here.” He snapped back at her, shoving the two pieces of luggage into her arms before spinning and stomping off, grumbling incomprehensibly under his breath the whole time. Y/N blinked slowly, looking down at her luggage then back at Edge’s retreating figure.

“Ooh~ He liiiikes you!” Ruth called from the couch. How she could see Y/N or Edge was a mystery Y/N didn’t feel like exploring. Dragging her luggage into the room and just setting it randomly down by the bed, Y/N rolled her eyes. Likes her? That’s ridiculous.

“No he does not.” Y/N retorted, sighing. “Yes he doessss~” Ruth sang, giggling. Y/N stared down at the luggage, almost burning a hole through it as she wondered just how she got to this point in her life.

A hand slapping her back took her by surprise, hitting not nearly hard enough to even cause Y/N to move. Still, it surprised her either way. Y/N felt she was being  _ way _ too jumpy right now anyway.

“Just stay away from Razzy, mkay baby? I won’t stop you otherwise.” Ruth sang, voice taking a threatening lift that wasn’t nearly as threatening as it reasonably should be. Y/N was really becoming desensitized to that type of stuff. It was almost sad if only Y/N cared.

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch him.” Y/N breathed, feeling off. She didn’t feel like putting her new stuff away, like at all. She should but she didn’t feel like it. But she also didn’t want to know why Ruth thought Y/N would go anywhere  _ near _ Razz. He’d been her third pick for ‘most likely to kill her’ last time, right behind Honey and Blue. Then again, he didn’t remember that… huh. A bit more reasonable then. Just a tad.

“Oh, and don’t worry ‘bout your luggage hun! Just go out, get some fresh air, have fun! I know how those public planes get to ya. Go and give the Bentley a spin. Keys are where they always are.” Ruth spun around, practically dancing her way out of the room.

Y/N watched her go, turned back to her luggage, and sighed again. Death really got to you, didn’t it? She just felt so…  _ wrong _ in a way she hadn’t since… since waking up in that void in what was not-quite-her-body. 

Either way, she did not have the patience nor the will to unpack the unfamiliar luggage and organize it in her brand new walk-in closet that was already half full with gifts from Ruth, and some neon pieces Y/N would never dream of touching unless out of spite. Maybe she would go give Bentley a ride. Then she’d know what a Bentley looked like.

Making her way down to the garage without social interaction was a lot easier to do in this manor than the last house, a lot had to do with sheer size but also the elevator helped a lot. No one really bothered her on the way down. Y/N figured most were in their rooms or maybe working? Hell, she’d be in her room if it weren’t for her finally realized panic response forcing her to get as far away as she could as fast as she could to only return by night fall because she had nowhere else to go. Funny how it took dying to realize that.

Turns out, a Bentley was one of those fancy convertibles, or whatever you call topless cars. It was really slick looking, had expensive leather seats, a nice radio, and air conditioning. Honestly speaking, the air conditioning was all she cared about. It was expensive for reasons Y/N would never explain. She didn’t know cars, never would.

All Y/N knew was that it drove like a dream. Sure, the air outside was like breathing soup but the air conditioning and wind when the car picked up speed off set that pretty nicely. Getting caught up in traffic dulled that feeling a lot. Not to mention she had no idea how to work the roof… convertibles  _ did _ have roofs you could move up… right? Don’t quote her on that.

Finding Grillby’s was a chore. A mixture of an unfamiliar town and an inability to reliably follow maps made finding anywhere a chore. It also didn’t help that when Y/N  _ did _ find the place, it looked nothing like the old one, causing her to drive past it several times.

Old Grillby’s was simply named, just ‘Grillby’s’ and nothing more. A tiny, homely little place that welcomed guests with open arms. It wasn’t anything special but it still felt  _ special _ in the way it felt almost like a home long lost. This new Grillby’s carried none of that feeling.

Grillby’s restaurant and bar was still a brick building, but set across the street from some place called MTT & NTT’s Cookings and Resort it would never have quite the same feel. Not just because the place across the street felt like something that belonged on the Las Vegas strip either.

The first floor was brick, but the second was built modern with large windows that led into spacious eating areas. The entire place was pristine, carrying none of that natural grit that came from being woefully understaffed for its popularity as the other one had. It felt oddly fancy for a bar. Then again, it was also a restaurant this time.

Y/N should’ve probably walked inside, scoped out the place to see just how much it changed beyond looking bigger and better but… she just couldn’t bring herself too. It didn’t feel like Grillby’s. It was like she was at the wrong place. This used to be one of the only places she felt even remotely safe and now… now it was just gone. It would never come back.  **_\--justlikeeveryoneelseyouconsideredfamily--_ **

Something bubbled up in her throat, her face felt warm. It was almost like Y/N was going to cry over a run down bar. But that was ridiculous. It made her  _ feel _ ridiculous. Why would she get so strung up over something like this? It was  _ just a bar. Calm down! _

“Miss?” A familiar voice called out, Y/N froze. No, she couldn’t turn around. She couldn’t look at him. Not him too. Y/N turned around.

Sure enough, it was Andy. Yet, it wasn’t. This new Andy was much more blue than the other one, golden stars twinkling and swirling over his skin much more prominent. The fading, wisping parts of his hair moving like fire taking on more golden and red twists and tints. So similar yet nothing like Andy. Just like Blackberry and Pup.

“Oh, I’m okay. I just…” Y/N stretched for an excuse as to why she’d been standing outside the place for 15 minutes without going inside, “was checking this place out. Heard from a friend the food here was good. Can’t bring myself to go inside though. I’d feel so awkward just standing there without reason.” There. Not true but not entirely a lie.

“Alright. Sorry to bother you Miss.” Andy gave her a soft, oh so familiar smile. “It’s fine. You aren’t a bother. I’m Y/N Wyles.” Y/N stuck her hand out to shake, just like before.

“Swirlby.” He breathed, taking her hand. They may have stood there a bit longer than necessary. No one could tell. Let alone them. People passing across the street, Grillby’s not yet open.

“Nice to meet you.” Y/N felt she should say more, say  _ something _ . She didn’t. Y/N left. She drove home, skipped dinner with a flimsy excuse, and went to ‘her room’. But she didn’t sleep. How could she?

Instead, Y/N took out her guitar, the one given by Cherry, tuned if up with her minimal high school band knowledge, and ever so slowly tried to reteach herself to play.

Y/N didn’t get much sleep that night. Could you really blame her?

  
**_There was so much more to come_ ** .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First day at Avon Inc., Reader should shadow...  
> A) The Finance Department  
> B) The Security Department  
> C) The Science Department
> 
> Reader needs to step up her game after last time, she should hang out with...  
> A) An old friend (Blackberry, Pup, or Swirlby)  
> B) An old enemy (Honey, Blueberry, or Mutt)  
> C) An new housemate (Sugar or Spice)
> 
> While hanging out with... They should go to...  
> A) The Park  
> B) An Amusement Park  
> C) The Mall


	12. First Days Are The Worst Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has their first day of their internship. It goes...well. At least she gets to go somewhere fun?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine not having writer's block, couldn't be me.
> 
> Sorry for taking so long guys ;-;

Avon Incorporated was a lot of things. A multibillion dollar company that spanned world wide. Yet it’s home base hadn’t changed from the town it was in since the day it was founded. Sure, the town itself had expanded and overtook the area around it, the building got bigger and more fancy, but it was still in the exact same place.

Of course, that was just one of its many aspects. Avon Inc. was a cash cow, a top dollar earner, yet mysterious in all it was. Mostly it seemed to make electronics, machines specific to this job or that. Each carefully researched and made to be better.

There was also something else going on though. Whether it was their short run when they were a remodeling company, the several years as a fashion star, to their longest running business venture in coding and electronics. So, generally, it was unclear what exactly Avon Inc. had going on at any given moment. All that was certain was that they were good at it and made a hell of a lot of money doing it.

All in all, being a brand new intern at Avon Inc., even having played the game and being the cousin of Ruth --who’s mom was actually on the board?-- was going to be interested. Going in blind was never a favorite of Y/N’s but there wasn’t really anything she could do. No amount of internet sleuthing would have helped her even if she had searched it up rather than plucking at the guitar at that. Not even doing a good job of playing at that.

“Ah, this so exciting, ain’t that right babes?” Ruth looked very comfortable and excited to be here. The exact opposite of how Y/N felt, or probably looked for that matter.

Ruth was looking as perky and bubbly as yesterday, despite having stayed up late and woken up early much like Y/N. Her makeup was freshly and professionally applied, shockingly bright purple eyes finally on display for the world to see. She was dressed professionally enough, though everything she was wearing was a bit too tight. A black pencil skirt that was a bit too short to be modest, a white blouse that wasn’t going to last knowing how these games worked, thigh high sheer black socks, and a nice pair of black heels. The shining 24k gold and real diamond necklace, bracelets, and earrings glittering in the sunlight.

Y/N looked nothing like her. She’d barely bothered to put on the bare minimum of makeup that was enough to make Ruth leave her alone. Her accessories were just a simple pearl necklace and earrings, though the earrings were pushing it. Her white button up had fallen to the issues most did, the buttons not enough to close it completely. Instead she wore a simple light creme sweater that fit nicely, a black knee-length pencil skirt, and a pair of black flats scrounged from the back of the closet that would actually be pretty comfortable if she had to stand for long periods of time.

“Sure is! Still can’t believe I’m here.” Y/N let out a soft, sardonic laugh, subconsciously rubbing at her arms. Here, at Avon Inc., in this town, still alive… was she even technically alive? Or was she now just a soul trapped, integrated with the code of a twisted game? Why did these thoughts always have to sneak up on her when she was supposed to be paying attention?

Meanwhile, Ruth was still looking cheerful, chatting away about everything she expected from the job. How it didn’t pay as much as she’d like, something like $20 an hour they were being paid to intern, but how happy she was to work in the same building as her boyfriend. A lot of her talking was about Razz actually. It was almost sweet.

Actually, it was very sweet. Y/N just didn’t think Razz liked her very much. It made it difficult to get along with the skeleton, even as the player. Razz was just a very grumpy, satirical person who wasn’t nearly as charming in real life as Y/N thought.

“Maybe I’ll even get to shadow him! Though he’s security so probably not. I did apply for a HR position just like Mother. Where do you think you’ll go? I’m betting on the science department personally. You always like the stars and stuff like that.” Ruth rattled.

Had this new person she replaced liked the stars? Y/N didn’t know nearly as much about Ruth’s cousin as the original Villainess. Mostly because this ‘scenario’ is nothing like the original game. Whatever the reason, Y/N didn’t think she was smart enough for that anyway.

“I don’t know, I’m hardly that smart.” Y/N’s voice lowered as they entered the large thin, mostly glass building that was the headquarters of Avon Inc. Ruth’s heels clacked loudly against the floor as they walked. Ruth didn’t have the same courtesy to the other employees and few people who were in the reception area, voices almost seeming louder as in the large room.

“Oh, don’t tear yourself down like that. I know at the very least you're smarter than me Miss ‘Perfect Report Card’ Wyles.” Ruth mocked, giggling at her own tease. So her original cousin had all A’s? Damn, Y/N was lucky to get one A on her report card. Was it alright to be jealous of that?

“We’re here for the first day of our internships!” Ruth chripped at the receptionist who they’d walked up on, a smaller red-scaled monster who looked like they’d rather be anywhere but here. Y/N gave them a soft smile because Same.

“Fifth floor, ask for Meridith.” The receptionist drawled, raking their eyes over the two, seeming disapproving. They jerked their pen towards the general direction of the elevator. Then moved to tap loudly at the computer, already ignoring them.

“Thank you.” Y/N mummered, trailing slowly after Ruth. Ruth walked very quickly, Y/N almost having to run to keep up. How one walked so fast in high heels, Y/N would never know and would never be able to do it. Another mystery it seems.

The two stepped into the elevator, Y/N fidgeting and stressed while Ruth gushed about how wonderful everything was going to be. How could Ruth be so comfortable here? Sure, she grew up rich but this place was intimidating. Hell, it even had one of those glass elevators that showed just how high up you were going. Y/N wasn’t afraid of heights but anyone would feel nervous so high up.

Thankfully, the fifth floor was quick to reach, but was still a good 100 ft up at least. Enough to kill should something go wrong and Y/N fell. Which, knowing her luck, wouldn’t be surprising. Just unpleasant. Much like having her arms crush and stomach impaled… You know what? Y/N wasn’t going to go there.

“Hey, the receptionist downstairs said to ask for Meridith, bring her here.” Ruth demanded of a gelatin looking monster going through several things of paperwork while struggling with a tablet, thing of coffee, and overall seemed very stressed.

“M-meridith? O-Oh, right! I- um, name?” The poor jelly monster wiggled nervously, seeming to compress in on themself. They were a nice shade of green, with two large indented eyes that almost looked scary on their own. The natural sheen of their slime was almost gross looking. Though that was mostly because Y/N wasn’t a big fan of mold and the slime almost looked like it was made of an off-color condensed fat under the artificial lighting. Or maybe that was just Y/N. Ruth didn’t seem bothered.

“I’m Y/N Wyles. This is Ruth Rosen. We’re here for the first day of our internships.” Y/N intoned softly as Ruth scoffed, almost like she expected the small monster to just naturally know who she was.

“And my Mother is on the board so do hurry up,” Y/N shot Ruth a  _ look _ , “...please?” Ruth tacked on almost reluctantly, rolling her eyes. So Ruth was obviously a little entitled. Then again with as much money as she had for an allowance, it would be more impressive if she wasn’t. Money talked, Y/N knew that much at least.

The slime seemed to go a few shades lighter, entire being vibrating. Y/N couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy, girl? Whatever this secretary identified as. If she ignored how gross she thought they looked, they were almost cute.

Picking up the phone beside them, which was really interesting to look at as the secretary didn’t have hands, they fumbled for a bit. Eventually calling out for Meridith over the intercom, ‘Head of Human Relations’ they called Meridith. So they were the HR head then? Interesting.

Ruth and Y/N were forced to wait as Meridith made their way down to them. Ruth gripped a little but calmed down quickly. She just plopped down in one of the many square, gray chairs and started tapping away at her phone. If it weren’t for how uncomfortable the chairs were, Ruth would almost seem relaxed.

Sadly, Y/N didn’t have nearly as easy of a time. Unlike Ruth, she didn’t bring a purse. Nor did Y/N have any pockets. So she couldn’t pull anything from her inventory to entertain her. Sure, there was going through the pause screen or her bracelet to bring out her phone but how was Y/N supposed to explain that? It was in her bra?... actually that might work.

Then again, Y/N didn’t really have anything on her phone. Just the basic apps that most phones had, calling and texting, a music app, and a single contact on her contact list labeled ‘Cherry Bomb’. That in of itself was enough to make her heart clench and nearly just stuff the thing away.

Maybe she should get Flappy Bird or something. Anything would work really. Well, not anything. Y/N didn’t have headphones so no rhythm games. Then again, what sort of games even exist in this world? They didn’t even have Target. Maybe they had ‘Blockcraft’ or something.

Working her way through a very weirdly laid out app store, she did find an off brand Tetris app that caught her eye purely because it was called ‘RNG Simulator’. There was no way Y/N couldn’t get that for a laugh. Unfortunately, that’s as far as Y/N got before the elevator dinged and a very...intimidating woman stepped through. Or man? It was hard to tell at a glance.

They weren’t intimidating in the way of a large stature or big muscles. In fact, they were rather small and petite. They were more intimidating in how flawless they looked. Perfectly styled hair with not a strand out of place, sharp makeup, neat and finely pressed suit. An aura of ‘You will listen to me or else’ exuding from them with every step.

“You two are the interns?” Came their smooth, feminine voice. She almost sounded british, but it was hard to place. So Y/N was mostly sure this was a very intimidating woman rather than a very intimidating man.

“Yep,” “Yes ma’am,” Ruth and Y/N choursed. Y/N straightened in her chair, Ruth didn’t seem nearly as worried as Y/N felt. In fact, she didn’t even bother trying to be professional beyond using a somewhat-decent posture.

“Right. Ms. Rosen? You’re with me. You, what’s your name?” Meredith snapped, snapping her fingers in a ‘come here’ motion. Ruth shrugged, obeying and going to stand behind the woman.

“Wyles, ma’am. I’m Ruth’s cousin.” Y/N sounded far more calm and professional than she felt, even managing to stop herself from reaching to rub at her arms again. Why did she even keep doing that?

“Right,” It almost sounded like Meridith didn’t believe her, “You’ll be with security today. Basement level. Take this and go. Ms. Rosen? Follow me.” Was it just a trick of Y/N’s imagination or did Meridith seem to be nicer to Ruth than her? Already she was playing favorites.

Fumbling with the keycard that had suddenly been thrusted into her hands, Y/N watched dumbly as the two strutted into the elevator like a perfect pair. Ruth threw a wink and a kiss behind her as she left. 

Y/N stared down at the card, protected by a layer of plastic and attached to a simple black band, then up at the elevator. Then she turned to the receptionist, who looked rightfully terrified of Meridith and seemed to have melted now that she left the room.

“Bit much, don’t you think?” Y/N tilted her head towards the elevator, not entirely sure what she was implying. Whatever it was the receptionist picked up on, they let out a gurgling laugh and a shiver. So obviously it was funny.

“You have  _ no _ idea.” They replied shakily, still pulling themself together. “Guess I don’t,” Y/N mused softly, “Guess I don’t,” She made her way to the second elevator, intent to take it down to the basement.

That was an odd thought. Why were the security staff in the basement? They needed some sort of special credit too, apparently. How strange… or maybe this was just standard and Y/N was blowing it way out of proportion like always. Yeah, that was probably it.

Riding down was a lot quieter than the ride up. It was only natural as the only noisemaker, Ruth, was now gone. Just Y/N and her thoughts which, really, was never a good thing. At least now she had not-quite Tetris to entertain her. That was more than Y/N usually had.

Still, even with the up beat tempo of the app’s background music, it was frightfully silent in a way Y/N just wasn’t used to. Not anymore. At least it was more awkward than it was scary this time, the feeling that she wasn’t supposed to be there curling in her chest the lower the elevator descended. At least she didn’t have to worry about falling out a window anymore.

Instead, she just stood there awkwardly as the elevator still continued to go down to god knows where. Light flashed in thick beams as the elevator passed by lights, dark and light. It was like a bad scene in a horror movie where the elevator started falling. Surely that wouldn’t happen… right? Right.

A loud ding, startling Y/N from the tetris game she was losing horribly, but was a bit better than when she started during her 30 minute wait. Just a little bit. No, no she wasn’t. Y/N was just trying to make herself feel better.

Right above the floor buttons a panel opened up, a red blinking light appearing. Y/N thumbed at the card around her neck, pure white with a black barcode on it. Was she supposed to scan her card? It wouldn’t hurt to try.

Lifting the card, Y/N fitzed with the scanner. It took a little twisting but, eventually, it did scan with a beep. The panel shifting closed and the doors sliding open. God that was strange. Then again, with such a big company all the added security made sense.

The elevator opened into a long hallway reminiscent of a hospital with the smell of disinfectants, squeaky clean floors and bright fluorescent lights. Being there just made Y/N feel dirty. Not because she was but because how clean the place seemed.

“Why Didn’t You Wait By The- WAIT,  _ YOU’RE _ THE NEW INTERN?!” Came a startlingly familiar voice. From one of the many off branches of the hallway walked out a very surprised looking Razzberry. He was dressed differently than before, naturally. A dark red button up, black slacks and boots, and a shiny golden badge. There was a gun and a radio clipped to his belt, along with a bunch of keys.

“Guess so, lucky me.” Y/n spoke sardonically. This wasn’t going to turn out very well, her boss hated her. No, no, this Razz didn’t know her. There’s no reason to make such rash assumptions about how he sees her. So Y/N bothered to manage a professional-looking smile. Not missing the angry flush on Razz’s face.

“AH, GUESS IT CAN’T BE HELPED,” Why was he only being so loud as soon as he saw her? “FOLLOW ME.” Razz growled, seeming annoyed. Same, really. Y/N was also pretty annoyed. Did this guy not realize how loud he was? Especially in this empty hallway?

Trailing after the grumbling skeleton, Y/N felt distinctly uncomfortable. Sure, the knowledge that Razzberry didn’t necessarily hate nor know her was  _ there _ but try telling that to her survival instincts. Something about the situation still gave her goosebumps. Not the good kind either.

Ever get that feeling? Where it didn’t feel like you were supposed to be somewhere despite having obviously been allowed there? Like you were doing something wrong but just weren’t sure what? That was Y/N, right now. Actually, that was pretty much Y/N always. But right now it was just a much stronger feeling.

Razzberry was definitely adding onto it. Every time he glanced back, his glare felt like poison. Every muttered insult like arrows against her skin. Why was Razz so mad? She didn’t ask for this job, at all. Hell, Y/N didn’t even ask for this  _ life _ .

“CARD.” Razz snapped, taking it as soon as it had been removed around Y/N’s neck enough to not choke her from the movement. Y/N just stepped back and dealt with it. As much as it annoyed her to be treated so harshly over nothing, Y/N wasn’t exactly going to poke the beast. At least, not yet.

Was Y/N shown and taught how to get through the reinforced doors to the place where the uniforms, weapons, and other protective measure were kept so she could become self-sufficient in this workplace? Nope. 

It was almost funny how much posturing Razzberry had to do to make sure Y/N couldn’t see a single damn thing he was doing on the keypad. He was nearly half a foot shorter than her and despite being the stockier type of skeleton, he was still rather thin because he was a skeleton. 

Either way, at least Y/N was let in, given a bullet proof vest to put under her blouse, and a moment to change before Razz gave her a tour. The locker room was rather basic. Lockers, benches, and a side room with the vests and weapons in it. That was a room Y/N wasn’t allowed to be in. Hell, Razzberry damn near snarled at her when Y/N so much as looked at the room.

The bulletproof vest would’ve chaffed horrible against Y/N’s skin. Thankfully, Y/N had access to her inventory, which meant she could just throw on a tank top under it and not have to worry much. How would anyone even tell she was wearing a tank top she didn’t have on before? No one… unless they were a perv and spied on her while changing. But no one would do that. Only Razz was with her anyway.

“WHY ME?!” A loud voice startled Y/N. They didn’t sound like Razzberry, but they did sound vaguely familiar. Why could she never put voices to people?

“BECAUSE I AM  _ YOUR _ BOSS AT THE MOMENT SO YOU MUST DO WHAT  _ I _ SAY.” Razzberry, that was Razz right?, snapped back. Was he foisting her off on someone so he didn’t have to deal with her? Damn, that was cold.

“I’m finished Razz-y.” Was a nickname too familiar or was it endearing? Too late for Y/N to decide seeing as how she already said it, nervous smile playing on her lips. The dark material of the vest showed slightly through her white blouse. It was hardly promiscuous but made Y/N feel awkward nonetheless.

Razz spun to face her, “DON’T CALL ME  _ THAT _ .” Razz growled, face red, “EDGE, YOU DEAL WITH HER.” He ordered before turning and walking away. Edge? Oooh, if it wasn’t for the three deep scars clawed over his eye, Y/N might have not recognized him.

“Guess I’m in your hand Hot To- I mean, Edge.” Y/N cut herself off. Calling Edge ‘Hot Topic’ wasn’t the best idea. Least of all because the store didn’t exist in this world. Still, this was definitely the first time she’d seen him wearing something that didn’t match the descriptor.

Edge wore black slacks and a wine red button up to match Razz, likely the uniform, but his badge was different, a gleaming silver rather than gold. He had his badge pinned to his not-breast. No gun but then again he also had magic. The only thing Edge kept that was familiar were the heeled boots, though this pair had smaller, but sharper looking heels. Definitely could be used to stab someone.

“ _ WHAT _ WERE YOU ABOUT TO CALL ME?” Edge asked, eyes narrowed and voice carrying what felt like a silent threat.

“Oh, nothing,” Y/N said, you know, like a liar. Her smile got even more strained. Please not have messed up, please not have messed up. Did she just mess up?

“NO, YOU WERE ABOUT TO CALL ME  _ SOMETHING _ ” Edge moved to tower over Y/N. Not hard for the about six and a half foot tall skeleton. Y/N didn’t feel nearly as intimidated as she probably should. Then again, despite knowing Jak -or whatever his name was- for less than 15 minutes, Y/N got a healthy dose of fear from how tall and immaculate he was. Almost made her wonder where he was. Then again, he  _ was _ a part of the mafia. Best not to care and pray she doesn’t get wrapped up in that.

“Hot Topic? You know, cause you're a great topic to talk about and are quite attractive?” Y/N fibbed. Compliments usually helped, and how else was she supposed to explain away calling someone Hot Topic? In a world where the store didn’t even exist?

“I-” Edge straightened, stepping back with a soft, near impossible to see red dusting his cheeks, “R-RIGHT. OF COURSE! WHO WOULDN’T FIND SUCH AN IMPECCABLE SKELETON AS I ATTRACTIVE?” He bragged, puffing up his chest. 

“No one.” Y/N nodded along, giving a breath of relief. Thank god, compliments somehow managed to save the day. Slightly, she was still stuck here. Then again, nothing would fix that. Oh well.

A voice, too obscured by static to be made out by Y/N, came from Edge’s radio. Edge fumbled with it, claws getting stuck in the fabric of his slacks as he pulled the radio out. He growled something back, Y/N couldn’t exactly make it out. The voice called back, and Edge sighed.

“SEEMS YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY GET SOME USE TODAY.” Edge seemed annoyed by whatever the voice over the radio said. Giving a half hearted ‘follow me’ motion. The hallway wasn’t that small but Edge still bumped Y/N as he walked by.

The air between them was tense, especially seeing as the two of them barely tolerated each other. Something Y/N hoped to fix to the point that at least she wouldn’t suffocate in the thickness of it. 

For now, Y/N just sucked it up and tried to be as far from Edge as possible in the elevator. Edge didn’t seem nearly on ‘edge’ as her either, lucky bastard. Worrying her lip, Y/N tried her damndest to seem nearly as put together. It didn’t seem to work.

Edge led her to the twelfth floor, through several doors to a reception area. It was almost immediately obvious the reason they were called. Y/N had heard of this type of person before, had even met a couple. Never to this degree though. What was this person? A Karen, or was it Kevin?

Kevin was a severe-looking business man in a sharp black suit with a bright red tie. He obviously had quite a bit of wealth and would’ve been quite elegant looking. All the elegance was thwarted by the angry flush that dominated his face. ‘Foaming at the mouth’ was an apt descriptor, if only because of how spit flew from his mouth as he spat at the poor receptionist and who was probably their manager.

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL SECURITY ON ME YOU SATAN-WORSHIPER.” Kevin barked, practically vibrating with rage. It would’ve been scary if not for Y/N’s experience with extremely loud angry people, aka her family on her mother’s side. But she wasn’t about to think about them.

Now, calling the receptionist -or were they talking to the manager?- a satanist was mean. Sure, they kind of looked like a demon with several horns sticking out from their head and going down their back like spines but Y/N thought they looked more like a dinosaur than a demon. Their green-ish scales definitely lended to that.

“SIR, CALM DOWN.” Edge interrupted, marching up to stand behind Kevin. Y/N trailed behind slowly. There were several other people waiting in the room, some monsters and some humans. The humans that were there looked mortified or annoyed from how Kevin was acting. Hell, Y/N was feeling second-hand embarrassment from how the man was acting.

“CALM DOWN?  _ CALM DOWN?!  _ THIS MOTHERFUCKER IS BEING SPECIESIST TOWARDS ME.” If possible, Kevin got  _ louder _ . Y/N honestly felt a little bad for his vocal cords.

“All I told you was-” The receptionist began to little effect. Quickly cut off by their manager with a look that just said ‘Stop’. Leaving the poor fella to shrink in their seat. No, Y/N didn’t feel bad for Kevin. The receptionist is in a much worse position.

“I  _ HIGHLY  _ DOUBT THAT” Edge drawled, rolling his eyes, “NOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY FRACTION OF A BRAIN I  _ SUGGEST  _ YOU COME WITH ME” The tone of his voice made it easy to tell this was not a ‘suggestion’. It was an order.

“FUCK YOU!” Kevin was long lost in his blind rage, unable to figure out the ‘edge’ to Edges’ voice. Whatever stupidity gave him the confidence to push Edge, seeing as how he was about half a foot shorter than the skeleton, was something to behold. Y/N was almost impressed.

Edge barely budged but damn did he bristle. Kevin whirled back around, turning to the receptionist and grabbing them hard enough to make the poor monster flinch in pain. It made Y/N… angry. What is this guy’s problem? Sure he was mad but that didn’t mean he had to hurt someone to get his way.

No matter what Edge did, the man just didn’t listen. Then Kevin shoved the poor receptionist at Edge. It made Edge back off a little, forcing him to catch the tiny monster.

That was Y/N’s limit for today. Was she just supposed to watch Edge do his job because she was only shadowing? Yes. Was she going to stand buy while this man threw a tantrum and hurt someone? Absolutely  _ not _ . 

“Okay, that’s it you little shit.” Y/N snapped. She moved to step between the two feeling her cheeks heat up. It was odd how angry she felt. Y/N had never considered herself someone to get so worked up so easily. Yet, here she was.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?” The man sputtered, face slowly turning purple. Y/N ground her teeth, trying to steady herself and her breathing. God, why was she feeling so angry?

“No, I  _ don’t _ know who you are. Nor do I care.” Her voice leveled into a deadly stillness, coming out cold. Not quite the calm she wanted or intended.

**_*Ping*_ **

“For all  _ I _ care, you are an infuriating little  _ brat _ throwing a temper tantrum. Really, you’re acting far more like a toddler than the ‘elite business man you seem to claim to be.”

**_*Ping*_ **

**_*Ping*_ **

“Toddler or not, you are  _ not _ excused for using physical violence to try and get your way.  _ No one is, _ ”  **_\--hypocrite--_ **

“Now,” Y/N took a step forward, the man stumbled back, “ _ if you would _ .” She gestured back to the door. Eyes burning, people who hurt others to get their way were the worst kind of people in her mind.

The man sputtered, spit flying from his mouth as he tripped over his tongue, struggling around each word. He eventually squeaked out something about ‘getting her fired for this’ before turning and fleeing the room.

Silence fell over the room, air tense and thick. It wasn’t dead quite, at least not to Y/N. The ringing in her ears wouldn’t allow it. Something red and firey burning over her skin with the intensity to cause heat waves to rise over her body. Held back by little but a prayer and a system no one could quite understand.

Forcing a few quiet, deep, steadying breaths, Y/N tried to reign in her temper. To say it worked was to be wrong. Anger still simmered under her skin, flushing Y/N a hot red. Her teeth ground together, a polite smile forced onto her lips. Why was she feeling so angry? It was unnatural to her.

Turning, Y/N kept her head somewhat bowed. She did just do something she wasn’t supposed to, it was probably wise to remain cautious. Wouldn’t do to get fired her first day… it was probably a bit late for that, huh?

“Sorry about that sir, I… got ahead of myself.” Y/N apologized with a tight smile, glancing up at an incredulous Edge and equally-terrified-as-they-were-awed secretary.

Her words seemed to snap Edge back to reality. With a fake cough, he spoke, “Don’t do it again.” There was a sharp, almost harsh glint to his eyes.

Y/N nodded, watching as Edge put the demon-like monster down. She followed after Edge as he left without another word to her. Even after her sudden outburst, she didn’t exactly feel like striking up a conversation.

At least the ride was a lot less silent this time. Edge spent most of it muttering to himself about things she couldn’t make out. Occasionally he’d growl, pressed his hand to his face, or shoot her a glance with an odd look on his face. Never once did he try actually talking with her.

Fast forward a few hours and, well, it was safe to say that the incident was the most ‘exciting’ thing to happen all day. Edge remained silent towards her, barely looking at Y/N. Then again, it was better than getting yelled at.

Somehow, her silence almost managed to get Edge more worked up. The longer she went without saying anything, the more ‘on edge’ Edge seemed to get. Y/N didn’t understand! Was she in trouble for stepping in when she shouldn’t have? Or did he want her to confess something? Had she done something bad? This was not doing good for her anxiety. Then again, was anything in her life now?

Eventually, Edge seemed to have enough of her. He led her to a thick metal door, pressed his keycard to the scanner, unlocked the door, and shoved her through, leaving without another word. It was uncanny of Edge to be so quiet. It just wasn’t like him. At least, not with what Y/N knew of him.

**-=-=-=-**

Edge didn’t get it. What was with that...that… what the fuck was her name again? Yvon? Tracy? No, no, Y/N! Ugh, he couldn’t even remember her name! What was with him? No, that’s not the right question.

Ugh, she just didn’t make any sense! Edge hated it. At first she was a little weakling, following him around like some lost sort of  _ pet _ , then… then she had the gall to act so-so...How could he even describe it?

The air turned cold, the tension in the room made it hard to breath, the only person anyone was capable of focusing on was  _ her _ . That human in her burning fucking rage that was  _ terrifying _ … Though not to him, he was the most terrifying thing in the room and any given moment! But… still… She just seemed so… what would be the word? Dominant? Out-there? Competent? Something like that.

It hadn’t lasted for long, not after she managed to make that fucking waste of air run from the room with just a few words. No, after  _ that _ she had the goddamn  _ gall _ to revert back into that  **_state_ ** .

Of course, she’d show something actually  _ interesting _ for once and then turn into a fucking baby duck or some shit trailing after him like she wouldn’t be able to breathe on her own. It was  **_infuriating_ ** .

He didn’t understand her. That just might be the worst part. Rarely did Edge come across things he could understand. Hell, the human’s cousin Ruth was like an open book. Honest to a fault, a gossip, willing to follow any order so long as there was a sufficient authority behind it. Really, Ruth was a  _ perfect _ match for Razzberry.

But Y/N? At first...but no...then how...it didn’t make sense! So maybe, just maybe, he’d pushed her off on Red. The silence was getting to him, just a little. Not that he’d ever admit it.

What was  _ with _ that woman?

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Edge Pismo**

**Universe: Underfell**

**HP: 600**

**REP: 1 *NEW***

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -90**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: -80**

**Danger Levels: 60**

**Sanity: 55**

**Height: 6’5**

**Occupation: Security Guard at Avon Inc.**

**What the hell was that?**

**-=-=-=-**

God, this was  _ torture _ … okay maybe she was exagerrating a  _ little _ but still. The room she’d been shoved in was pretty average, just a box. The floor was a warm gray laminate, the walls a slate gray. There was a desk on one end and a series of locked cases. Covering almost every available surface were a bunch of screens, each a slightly different size with different ranges of clarity. On the desk a keyboard, mouse, and desktop.

But that wasn’t what was so bad about this. No, what was so bad was the fact she was stuck in here with  _ Red _ of all people until the end of her shift and there was  _ only one chair _ . Standing for three hours straight wasn’t her favourite thing to do but it was better than the alternative.

“Come on, ya feet have ta hurt after standin’ for so long. Just take a sit. I won’t do nothin’.” Red gave her a not-at-all-convincing smile, golden tooth glinting under the bad lighting. He didn’t pat his lap or sit suggestively but it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

“You wish,” Y/N muttered, fidgeting in place. At least she hadn’t gone with the heels Ruth insisted on. Now that really was torture. Seriously, who thought heels were a good idea? Especially for jobs that required hours of standing? Ruth, apparently.

“Say somethin’? Come on, speak up. I don’ bite… hard.” Red gave out a harsh laugh, raising his hands in ‘surrender’. Ah, there it was, spreading his legs like he was inviting her to straddle them. No thank you, Y/N would rather  _ die _ … well, die again. Damn, that was a depressing sentiment.

“I  _ said _ , in your dreams,” Well, not quite but the same sentiment, “Here, how about I sit in the chair and  _ you _ figure out a way to entertain yourself for the next three hours.” She meant while standing, she  _ meant _ while standing. Y/N wouldn’t know how he took that for at least the next five minutes.

As it was, Red was surprisingly amenable to standing, though the words that came out of his mouth were  _ not _ what Y/N meant when she asked him to stand up. “Oh? You like be’in beneath someone? I can work with that.” Finish it with a wink and you have a certified ‘make Y/N shudder with disgust’ package.

“Yeah, no.” Y/N snapped back, feeling the anger still prickling under her skin start to rise. For a moment, she seriously considered throwing the chair at Red. Still, she sat in the chair, quickly spinning away from him.

“ _ Fine _ , be like that.” Red huffed with a groan, leaning against the hard metal desk. He probably would’ve sat on it if it weren’t for the many monitors. Red was already pushing it.

For the next three hours, not much changed. Red would occasionally make dirty comments and suggestions, Y/N would shoot him down each time. They didn’t hold any actual conversation. Y/N was feeling far too awkward, angry, and disgusted.

Thankfully, and Y/N never thought she’d refer to any of them like that, Edge came back for her at the end of her shift. He still didn’t say much, glowered at Red, and left. Y/N was quick to remove her vest when she could. Then, Edge just left. Probably still had more of his shift to finish or something. God, how long did he even work?

Y/N wasn’t about to complain about it. Any time away from these skeletons was a good time. Then again, if she stayed away and they hated her, would something bad happen? It happened last time… but… no… well… ugh! Why was this so hard.

2pm, it was only 2pm by the time she left. Sure, that meant that she’d been ‘at work’ for 8 hours but it still felt like a pitifully short time. Somehow. Yet also too long? Time was weird and Y/N didn’t understand it.

Either way, Y/N was hungry and -  **_*Ping*_ **

**[Baby’s First (second) Job] -**

**You’ve gotten through your first working day! That was the easy part**

**Objective: Complete daily tasks**

**Reward: $20 per hour, 200 XP, ???, ???**

Oh, uh, easy part? You know what? Y/N was going to consider  _ that _ mess later. For now, she was still hungry. Had she eaten breakfast? Y/N couldn’t remember, so probably no. The kitchen was a definite ‘no go’ zone for now.

Still, where should she go? Grillby’s would be nice but… the thought tugged at her heartstrings in ways she couldn’t handle. But she also didn’t know any better place… and going home wasn’t looking very appealing… then again, did it ever?

“Darling! How was your day? Mine was a little dry but, hey, it’s only the first day. Besides, I had Razzy-baby with me! Are you hungry? I am. We woke up  _ way _ too early for my tastes. Didn’t even get time to eat!” Ruth chattered as she exited the building. She seemed only a tad disheveled from the day’s work.

Razzberry exited beside her, gaze darkening slightly as he laid eyes on Y/N before he turned away. Y/N gave both a weak smile. She tried to reply, but Ruth didn’t let her.

“It’s a wonderful day, don’t you think? Oh look! There are even butterflies around. Have you gone to the amusement park near here yet? Oh! Who am I kidding, you just got here Babes! You know what? We should go! Like a double date!” Ruth squealed.

“Uh, wouldn’t that require me... _ having _ a date?” Y/N interrupted. None of the skeletons liked her enough to go on a ‘date’ with her. Even if it was just a glorified hang out session. Not even Red, he mostly seemed to just want to mess around with Y/N. Which would never happen...hopefully.

“Right… oh Hi Pup!” Ruth spun to greet the taller skeleton, who had a hoodie over his button up for some reason. The tall skeleton startled, apparently not noticing them. He didn’t immediately perk up, but he did give them a toothy grin.

“Pup.” Razz ground out in greeting, clearly not wanting to be around Pup. Ruth nudged him in the side, giggling. Razz growled, managing a tersed smile that didn’t look at all like he meant it.

“Hello,” Y/N muttered, barely loud enough to be heard. A smile tugged at her lips and a new emotion joined the mess that was her right now. It hurt to see Pup, so familiar yet so different. He didn’t recognize her… maybe for the better?

Ruth let out a loud gasp, “I know! Pup can go with Y/N!” She bounced, seeming proud with herself. Razz’s eyes seemed to struggle to keep on her face at the movement. Y/N held back a snort.

“GO WITH Y/N? WHERE?” Pup tilted his head, looking surprisingly innocent despite the myriad of light scars and a few heavy ones visible on his bones. At a glance, someone dangerous. An illusion broken the moment he speaks.

“To an amusement park, I think.” Y/N explained over Ruth’s chatting. Seriously, she told Pup ‘to go with Y/N’ and didn’t even explain where. Ruth was excited about her first day and wanted to tell someone about it. That was fine. Still, at least tell the guy you volun-told to go somewhere where he was going.

“REALLY! I LOVE THE AMUSEMENT PARK!” Pup’s eyes damn near had stars in them. The four splitting up, Ruth pushing Y/N and Pup into Pup’s car so they could get to know each other before the ‘date’ began.

“Guess you’ll have to show me all the good rides,  _ hey careful _ .” Y/N nearly banged her head on the door as she was shoved unceremoniously into the dark blue convertible. She shuffled herself into a modicum of decency, tugging her skirt in an attempt to get it to stay down.

“YEAH.” Pup’s voice ricocheted in the small vehicle, enough to make Y/N’s ears ring. She winced but said nothing, the car falling into a not-quite awkward silence. It wasn’t dead quiet at least.

Pup hummed, tapped his phalanges against the steering wheel, and occasionally giggled to himself like he thought of something funny. Sooner than Y/N expected, and with a lot less talking than she expected, they arrived at the mansion.

There were a few people there. Sans was laying on the main couch, napping. Someone was in the kitchen cooking something that smelled wonderful, so probably not Blue. Loud music barely heard behind one of the doors. At least it was good music.

Y/N rode the elevator alone up to her room, which was still a trip because  _ elevator _ . How rich were these people? Actually, Y/N didn’t want to know. She was already uncomfortable.

Her room was as pristine as before. The bed unused, the kitchen untouched, and it would all probably remain that way for a while. Y/N rubbed her arm absentmindedly, grabbing a set of clothes from her suitcase, a pair of shoes, and went to take a shower. Maybe that would get rid of the icky feeling she had.

It worked...but only a little. The shampoo and conditioner smelled almost sickeningly sweet. So did the perfumes. Y/N ended up just not using them and scrubbing her skin until it turned red. If that’s what ‘floral splash’ smelled like, she didn’t want it.

The clothes she had were revealing, most of the things that Ruth stocked her closet with were. Not her favourite but, hey, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, it was extremely hot out. If anything it might help.

Were there ‘better’ options then what Y/N picked out? Probably. A simple black spaghetti strap tank top with high waisted blue jean shorts that were a bit too tight was the best Y/N could do though. It’s called not having a fashion sense.

But, still, in Y/N’s opinion that outfit paired with a pair of leather sandals looked rather cute. It wasn’t expensive looking or extravagant but it was nice. Not at all like with Ruth picked out.

Ruth seemed to have a definite style of white and gold and free. A summer dress with a tie around the waist, a neckline that dipped a little low, and a skirt that reached about mid-thigh matched with some white leather sandals. A few bangles were on her wrist, and a long golden necklace spelled the word ‘baby’ below her collarbone.

Razz looked as himself as ever. Skeletons probably couldn’t feel temperature if what he was wearing was any indication. His shorts, black and leather and held up by a deep red leather belt, were fitting of the temperature, though they hung a little low on his hips. The long sleeved black top and deep magenta-y colored scarf were not.

Pup looked to fit a little bit more. A simple white tank top, burnt-orange gym shorts, and his jacket tied around his waist. He also looked much more excited to be going. It was almost like ‘excited’ was his constant state of being. It was almost… cute?

“Everybody ready?” Ruth didn’t wait for a reply, “Then let’s go!” She hooked arms with Razzberry, walking beside him out the door. Pup looked at her, Y/N offering her arm shying, and they followed after them much the same.

Despite herself, Y/N smiled. This just seemed so much better than last time. Maybe… maybe things would actually go right this time?

**-=-=-=-**

**_Huh… really, he didn’t get it. How had Ink convinced him to go along with this ‘game’? Ink had promised it would be fun. Other than one or two things though, it was really rather boring._ **

**_Watching Ink’s toy get mad was almost interesting. Not to mention how mad_ ** **_He_ ** **_was getting. That was fun, he guessed…_ **

**_Still… maybe if he actually took Ink’s offer to spice things up himself? Yeah… maybe he’d make a visit…_ **

**_What fun…_ **

**_Things were about to get ḯ̴̛͙̫̼̣̯̝̩̻̞̭̭̘͓͕̲̞̓̇͗͆̔̊͂͒́̈́̌̈́͗̎̚͠͠ͅń̶̨̛͖̺̣̳͈͚̣̤͈̤͈̜͙̭̟̪̥͚͙͉̙̩̓͂̄̅̃́͛͂͗͂̎̈̊͂̀͜͠͝ͅẗ̴̛̯̳̗͖̞́̆̒͑͌̓̄͋͗͌́͒͐̚͘̚͝͝͝͠e̵̡̢̧̛̫͖̦̘̼̰̜̲̤̳͂͊̊͑̀͛̆̋͒̃̈́̌̂̎͗̕ͅr̷̡̨͎͚͍̫͕̱͔̘̯̟̺̥̼͚̱̋̈́̉̿̐͛̑̒̈̐̕̕͠ę̶̧̛̺͕̻̣͓͕̞͚̜̻͔̤͓̪̖̱̺̂̅̔͛́̋̄́̈ṣ̷̛͚̩̯̟̙̞̼͗̾̒͛̋̓́̂̚t̴̛̰̜̮̦͈̣͓͚̫̯̘̹͔̹͕̝͉̤̜͚̩̳͉̻͈̂̄̔̃̌͛͒̅̐͌̑̏͒̕͝i̵̢̧̛̛͚̦̥͇͙̖̥̜͚̻͐͗͆̂́͆̈́̓̀̆̃̽͌͗͑̋͘͘̕ͅn̶̨̨̥̞͉̘̜̳̝͚̬͍͉̳̯̤̟̈́̚͘͜͝g̷̬̜̣̤̬̤͚͕̪̝͓̫̖͑͂̉͌̉̑͂̽́̇̿̅̊͒͛̂̾̋̍̃̓͛̌̒̊̈́͝_ **

**-=-=-=-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the Amusement Park, Reader should go on...  
> A) The Red Flag Twister  
> B) The Swan Boat  
> C) The Daredevil Drop
> 
> Confronted by Blackberry after the 'Date', Reader should...  
> A) Flirt with him  
> B) Apologies to him  
> C) Ignore him
> 
> Reader falls asleep, but something odd happens...  
> A) Run  
> B) Be Angry  
> C) Flirt


	13. A, Nice (Bad) Day (Night) Out (In)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough day at work, a nice trip to the theme park can cheer up anyone's day! Even if Blackberry thought something nasty was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I know I've said this before but this one has to be the most fun I've had writing a chapter!
> 
> Also, shame on those who've been trying to guess who our mystery friend was. None of you were right of course, some closer than others. I'd think I'd left a couple hints before, guess not.
> 
> Either way, it should be obvious now who he is. And he's not someone you'd expect.

Seven Banners was an obvious not-quite version of Six Flags. If the name alone didn’t give it away, the color scheme and many rides probably did. Giant coasters in bright colors, vague themes that didn’t really hold beyond the waiting area, and the overpriced snacks every theme park had.

Being a school day, there weren't nearly as many people there that would usually be there. Kids had school the next day and homework and the like. Which was great for the four of them. Not so great for the children.

Of course, the ground still sizzled so hot you could cook eggs on it if it weren’t so dirty. Clear skies meant not even cloud coverage against the sun. None of them had thought to put any sunscreen on either. So that wasn’t as good for them.

Still, Y/N was actually excited for this. The most she’s been in… well a long time. Amusement parks were her favourite! Some might have even called her a bit of an adrenaline junky. But only a  _ bit _ and that’s the story she was sticking with.

“Okay Darlings, the park closes at 10pm, let’s meet back here then.” Ruth proclaimed from her position atop the lip of the fountain station in the middle of the plaza. Hopping off, she took Razz by the hand and dragged him off. Razz gave a semi-annoyed sigh as they went. That didn’t let him hide the slight blush on his face though.

“Okay, where do you want to go first?” Y/N turned to her… date? Friend? Companion? Pup. Y/N turned to Pup. The tall skeleton looking excited as hell to be here, eyes practically stars. Considering that Y/N saw… was it Blueberry’s eyes (?) turn into stars in the game, he probably could do the same. It made her wonder why not.

“I Don’t Know! I’ve Never Been Here Before!” Pup bounced on his heels, realized what he was doing, and forced himself to stop and look not-really-all-that composed. There was an attempt at least.

“Me neither,” Y/N admitted, “But with Roller Coaster like these around, I like to start with the biggest one. So, probably that one.” Y/N pointed to a bright red coaster that could be seen twisting around the park, sudden drops and loop de loops galore. It looked fast, it looked dangerous. It was the perfect roller coaster.

Pup seemed a bit… nervous at that oddly enough. “OKAY!” He said regardless. With that, Y/N marched away to a map because she’d never been here either. Pup trailed behind her.

The Red Flags Roller Coaster was the premiere coaster of the park, being named after the damn place. It had a long winding line that could hold tons of people. Again, it was a school day, so the line was only twenty minutes long. Just by the size, the line had to be at least two hours long on a bad day.

Really, that only made Y/N more thankful it was a good day, even if it was more than a little hot. The sun baking her exposed skin and sure to leave a sunburn. Damn, it almost made her jealous of the skeletons. No skin did mean no sunburn after all.

“Soooo, how was work?” Y/N started up awkwardly, surely talking couldn’t be any worse than waiting in silence...right? Right. Silence was more awkward than speaking with someone who maybe-might-hopefully-didn’t hate you.

“Great! A Little Boring, Mostly Just Balancing The Books. You?” Pup returned the question, seeming just as awkward to be on this ‘date’ as she was. He definitely hid it better though.

“Oh, nothing too special I don’t think. Though there was this really rude man I had to… convince,” threaten, “to leave. I was mostly watching the cameras.” Y/N rattled off. Whether that was actually anything interesting, she wouldn’t know. Pup seemed to think so at least.

“Cameras? Were You With Red?” Y/N wasn’t sure what the slight warbly tone of his voice was supposed to mean. It certainly gave her an uneasy feeling. Regardless, she answered.

“Yeah. He didn’t do anything though. I shut him down pretty hard.” Y/N laughed it off, giving Pup what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Looking down at her hands, fiddling with her shirt nervously, she completely missed the look Pup gave her. It couldn’t have been important anyway.

They fell into silence. Or at least, as close to quiet as you could get with all the people around them and the coaster going overhead. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as Edge and the elevator at least, or god forbid her first meeting last life.

“What’s your favourite color?” Y/N asked suddenly. Why was that always her conversation starter? It wasn’t even a good one. Why was she now remembering every time she’d ever asked someone that? You know what? How about she just stop thinking? That would be great.

“Oh, uh, purple!” Pup chirped, seeming to not have expected that. Y/N didn’t expect his answer either so they were fair. Considering his wardrobe, she would’ve thought orange or whatever the reddish-orange color he wore was called. Purple was nice though.

“Really? Same! What about… hobbies?” Y/N relaxed a little, smiling. Both seemed to relax as the conversation ran on. The noise blurring out and time flying by. Twenty minutes passing by in seconds.

Turns out, they actually had quite a bit in common. Not just liking the color purple either. Both played the guitar, Pup the electric guitar and Y/N the acoustic -but not well-. Both enjoyed being inside more than outside, even if Y/N’s activities suggested otherwise. Both loved the adrenaline from large roller coasters. The only thing that really was any issue between them was that Pup actually  _ liked _ math.

“But how? It’s so hard, people don’t even use it in their daily life?” Y/N spoke, frustrated. Math had never been her best subject. Really, most things weren’t. Again, scrapped by with B’s at best. Whether or not she passed was the only important thing.

“I Do! And Math Is Fun. I Like The Challenge!” Pup sighed, rolling his eyes like he couldn’t believe she  _ didn’t _ like math. Like he wasn’t the one who was crazy for liking it.

“ _ You _ do finances and stuff, of course you use math. The grand majority of us only need two plus two equals fish thank you very much.” Y/N nodded her head like that was the end of it.

“Two Plus Two… That Equals For Not Fish?” Pup sounded either confused or incredulous. Most likely a mixture of both. Which was fair, Y/N didn’t often understand what came from her own mouth either.

“Actually, fish had four letters. What does two plus two equal? Four. As thus, two plus two equals fish. And door, boom, tomb, bomb. Hey, if tomb is pronounced toom, and womb is pronounced woom… why isn’t bomb pronounced boom?” Y/N wondered out loud. See? A perfect example of when she actually gets talking and loses track of what’s coming out of her own damn mouth.

“I, Uh, What?” Pup was definitely confused now. Good, Y/N was too. Quickly, he figured out the joke and couldn’t stop the snort that left him. “That Isn’t Even Funny!” He protested.

“Yet you still laughed. Stop denying it! I tickled your ‘funny bone’.” Horrible pun aside, that also got a laugh out of Pup. Y/N felt proud of herself, almost. The pun was still really  _ really  _ bad.

Sadly, the two of them had reached the front of the line before Pup could answer. The two of them shushed themselves to listen to the worker as they got in. Seatbelts bucked, bar pushed over their lap. It was the type of ride to have the full on rubber barrier that smushed their chests against the seat.

Y/N could already feel the adrenaline pumping as the coaster slowly started to move, coming around a corner to rest just above the ground. The coaster stopped for a moment, and with a count of three shot off with enough speed to leave her stomach behind.

Flattened against the seat, jostling as the coaster went around corners and down steep declines, slowing over inclines, and floating as it went upside down, Y/N couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t even notice the skeletal hand that was gripping her forearm.

Zipping this way and that, with enough speed to give them vertigo, the ride certainly was loud. Wind whipping by with enough speed to actually cool them down. It almost made it seem like it was cold rather than a sweltering heat.

A flash of light, a picture taken while they zipped by. Then, almost too suddenly, the coaster slowed, jerking everyone forward. Going about the speed that they began, they entered the station. The heat slowly came back into view without the wind. It was nice while it lasted.

“That was awesome! What did you think Pup… Pup? You okay?” Y/N moved to unbuckle her shelf and lift the restraints, stopped by the hand tightly gripping her shoulder. Pup seemed to be almost shaking.

“Oh… My… God! That Was So Much Fun!” Pup squealed suddenly, jerking out of his seat so fluidly it was like the restraints were never even there. Y/N hopped off with a smile, Pup’s excitement was infectious and, hey, who’s to say Y/N wasn’t feeling pretty damn excited too?

“I know right! That’s it! We’re riding every damn ride this park has to offer! Stomachs get no mercy. Or at least, my stomach.” Y/N quipped giggling. The adrenaline wasn’t quite gone and left her feeling a little loopy.

A bright flush enveloped most of her face, a growing mixture of sunburn and the drug that was adrenaline. It only got worse as the day progressed, becoming more sunburned than much else.

This had to be a ridiculously slow day for the park, being the middle of the week and all that. There was no other way to justify that the most wait a ride had was twenty minutes, some only five. It certainly didn’t do good for her stomach, but hey, she hadn’t eaten anything anyway.

All in all, by the time that they’d gotten sick of rides, at around 9 or so, they'd ridden most of the rides in the park. The only ones that were 100% missing had to be the ferris wheel -boring-, some love boat ride -ha no-, and a large tower that was under maintenance -a pity, it looked fun!-.

Fun or not, none of that changed the fact that Y/N hadn’t really eaten anything all day. She was hungry! So hungry she could ignore the fact her stomach was protesting the idea of food after all those sickness-inducing rides.

Something Y/N had never gotten to try before? Funnel cake. It was soft, had a crunchy exterior, and tons of sugar. It was basically a fancy donut but damn if it wasn’t good. Pup getting the powdered sugar all over his face was funny too.

It was easy to forget that this was a forced fake date. At least until whenever Pup touched Y/N. At one point, he saw a place serving dip and dots and even grabbed her hand. For the sake of fun, Y/N ignored it. Pup was just excited. Surely, he didn’t mean anything by it… right? Right.

All and all, both were giddy, a little tired, but hyped up on sugar and adrenaline by the time the four all met back up. Ruth looked to have fared a lot better, her hair still as impeccable as when they arrived, even if her clothes looked a little wet. Razz, on the other hand, had a shimmery lip gloss stain on his cheek. 

“Have fun?” Y/N couldn’t help but tease the smaller skeleton, tapping her cheek with a wink. Her grin only got wider as Razz rubbed the wrong cheek. Pup snorted as he spotted what she was talking about.

“Oh, leave him alone,” Ruth tutted, pulling a handkerchief from somewhere to rub off the kiss, “You’re a mess too doll! Just look at your hair!” was her rebuttal. Didn’t make much sense though. It wasn’t like she was calling Razz a mess. If anything, he was the only one of the four that still looked almost clean.

What was Ruth even… oh. Y/N patted her hair down. It had been sticking up at every end, blown out of it’s neatness from all the rides. Really, just a symbol of how much fun they’d been having. Pup didn’t have the same problem because, well, no hair. Hair was kind of a requirement for the windblown-look. His face was still flushed a burnt orange though, so there was that.

“Huh? I didn’t notice.” Y/N fitzed with her hair, unintentionally making it worse. What could she say? It was hard to fix something you couldn’t see! It wasn’t like she’d brought a hairbrush either.

“ _ Babes _ ,” Ruth sighed, “here, let me deal with it.” Apparently, Ruth had brought a hairbrush. Be always prepared and all that. Yelping and trying her hardest not to struggle under the assault, Y/N winced as her hair was pulled and forced into a state of decency.

The ride back home was much nicer than the ride there, the air not nearly as awkward. A tentative conversation was even struck up, chatting about how much fun they’d had and all that. Eventually, even that drowned out as the scenery passed by. The two waiting in a not-nearly-as-awkward silence.

Parting at the door, Pup going to his room and Y/N heading to hers, she had to admit that, despite the issues with Red and Kevin, things weren’t that bad today. Of course, she knew she was probably jinxing it.

Hopefully, the gods would let her enjoy this day. It was her first full day here, an adjustment period would be nice. Besides, the adrenaline was fading and a sugar crash was on the horizon. Gods, give her a good night's sleep!

Gods weren’t nearly as kind as to listen to the wishes of a mortal, especially one like Y/N. That much was known when she encountered Blackberry on her way up.

The shorter skeleton clearly was supposed to be in bed, his deep purple silk pajamas with details of bones of all things made that much obvious. His face was screwed up and eyes narrowed, like he just caught her doing something bad.

“Human! Stop Right This Instance!” Blackberry barked. Y/N sighed, feeling more tired by the second. She stopped not five feet from him, looking weirdly at the smaller skeleton. Was he even shorter this time around? Maybe? It was hard to tell, 5’0 or 4’11, there wasn’t much difference.

“Yes?” Came out a bit more snippy than usual, a sudden wave of exhaustion as she hit the crash she was trying to beat to her room. Damnit. Well, hopefully Y/N wouldn’t fall asleep in the elevator.

“Are You Trying To Seduce My Brother?!” Blackberry snarled. Y/N’s world screeched to a halt. All thoughts slamming to a stop like a car trying not to hit a speeding train. Crickets, if only it were that quiet.

Seduce...Pup? Don’t get Y/N wrong, she had nothing against the skeletons. Hell, if anything, rule 34 had  _ not _ been kind to help. But seducing anyone? In this life? Ha, no. She’d rather die… hell, she probably would.

“I’m sorry?” Y/N stammared, words not falling coming out right. Seriously? Where did people even get these thoughts? First Carrot-top, now Black? And she thought they were friends! Well, they  _ were _ friends. Just not in this life, okay he’s excused.

“I Know Your Game Human. What Else Would That ‘Date’ Be For?” Blackberry ground out. His eyelights were faded, almost completely gone from their sockets. It was creepy, almost scary. Y/N shrugged past it, like she tried to do with most things. Her hand went to cradle her lower arm.

“I… I’m sorry. You have the wrong idea. Just, let me explain?” Thankfully, Blackberry seemed much more willing to listen than Carrot-top. Maybe it had to do with their relationship last time? But he didn’t remember that, right? Reincarnation was weird.

“Ruth came up with the idea. She wanted to take both Razz and me along. I didn’t want to be a third wheel. Pup came out of work at the wrong time and Ruth decided to bring him with so I would have a buddy. You know, buddy system? It wasn’t really a ‘date’. Sorry, if it seemed otherwise. Reall, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” Please believe her,  _ please _ believe her. She didn’t need  _ another _ person threatening her life.

Blackberry studied her, Y/N’s back straightening in response to his scrutiny. Damn, it felt just like last time and was just as comfortable. Which meant hair-raising, goosebump-inducing, not at all fun or comforting. So bad.

“Fine. But If I Find Out You Did Anything-” Blackberry started. Y/N cut him off, “You’ll kill me? I know. Don’t worry, I won’t. How about I take you next time? If it makes you feel any better.”

He quieted down, staring at her with empty eyes. Then, he just walked past her and, assumedly, to his room. Y/N muttered one last apology as he passed, bumping her shoulder lightly. He left her along.

That was weird… and her shoulder was burning. Damnit, Y/N had gotten a sunburn. Didn’t she have a skill or effect of something that would mean it would just be… gone tomorrow? Did that mean she couldn’t tan? Strange question. Better to focus on than what just happened anyway.

After riding that train of thought for a few minutes, Y/N snapped out of it. She dragged her body like it was a dead weight up to the elevator and through her room, dropping onto the bed like a brick. Before her head even hit the pillow, she was out. Still fully clothed and all.

**-=-=-=-**

Pup hadn’t exactly expected to be dragged to the theme park in town today but he wasn’t complaining. He loved amusement parks! And roller coasters! Even if the heights and speeds got him nervous… and that he didn’t get to go very often.

So, really, it was great to be able to go! When he thought of going, he didn’t exactly expect it to be a… a date. Unless it was with Ruth, but Ruth had Razzberry! It would be rude to take her from him. Y/N wasn’t the first, or second, or even fifth person he’d think of when going on a date.

Was that rude? Maybe. But Y/N really didn’t strike him as anything special beyond the odd sense of deja vu when he saw her. Sure she was kinda pretty… but that didn’t mean anything if she was a spoiled brat like Ruth mentioned her being.

Ruth was too kind to use those words though. But Pup got what she meant! Pup was smart, even if most people didn’t think so. He couldn’t help being excited!

Y/N wasn’t what he’d heard, which was oddly relieving? He didn’t get it either. She loved roller coasters like him! They actually had a lot in common! She didn’t even complain when he crushed her arm in his fear! N-not that he’d been afraid! He’d actually had a lot of fun!

The way her hair was a mess and her face was flushed after the first coaster… Pup wasn’t sure why but it got to him. Something lighting up inside him, bringing an equal flush to his face.

By the look on his brother’s face, it hadn’t gone away by the time he got home. Pup wasn’t complaining though. He’d fallen onto his bed biting off giggles and head full of Y/N. She’d been so close in his car. She smelt like caramel and smoke. It burned to breathe but damn if it wasn’t oddly addicting. His car was going to smell for weeks!

Pup laughed into his pillow, his magic reacting over his bones oddly. Surely he wasn’t feeling this way over someone who was basically a stranger. Right? Right. It was just left over adrenaline. That’s all.

That’s all it was… right?

**-=-=-=-**

**Name: Pup Burim**

**Universe: Swapfell**

**HP: 1**

**REP: 10**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: -60**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 12**

**Danger Levels: 40**

**Sanity: 60**

**Height: 6’1**

**Occupation: Financial Analyst at Avon Inc.**

**That was so much fun! Maybe you two could do it again sometime?**

**-=-=-=-**

Y/N woke up in an oddly familiar and oh-so dark place. Her skin feeling like bubblegum stretched over her joints, the darkness making it impossible to tell if her eyes were open or not. This was her death screen.

But what was she doing back here? She wasn’t dead, just asleep. Right? Yeah… she could remember all the sugar she ate, the roller coaster, Blackberry… All she did was fall asleep. She should just wake up in the morning like always, right?

This place was boring anyway, just a neverending stretch of darkness and void. Nothing to look at, nothing to see. Nothing to give even the slightest indication there was anything at all.

Surely, this is what it feels like to lose all of your senses, right? Just the feeling of absolutely nothing. No, then she would see the black either, right? Or was it black? It couldn’t exactly be ‘the absence of light’ without there being light.

Y/N opened her eyes, and immediately jerked back when she came face to face with someone far too close for comfort. Spiraling back without gravity, she made an effort to straighten herself. Who the hell…?

The person in question was...well… a person. They looked like a fully grown adult, correct proportions and all, but were about the same size as that ‘Ink’ character. They also looked male but if Y/N knew anything from this experience it was it really was impossible to tell.

Bright golden eyes stared at her, creepily unfocused. There was no other color there, just a slab of gold to stare into her soul. Soft, bone white skin stretched thinly over their face. Light blond hair that floated like they was hanging upside down, long but not enough for them to see it necessary to pull back it seemed.

A yellow cape that faded to orange like a sunset was draped over their shoulders, a brooch the shape of a sun keeping it in place. Similarly colored gloves and coat were under it. Under those a pitch black top and leggings that almost blended into the void.

Cyan accents dotted their boots, their wrists, and belt. The most prominent thing on them is an odd golden circlet on their head like leaves. Drawing the eye by being the shiniest thing in the room. Hell, Y/N would be looking at it right now if only she could, drag her eyes away from theirs.

**“Hmm?”** They tilted their head, as if confused,  **“Right, this isn’t fitting, is it?”** Y/N blinked, seeing true nothingness. Not dark, not light, not the void, nothing. It was terrifying, bone chilling, bringing goosebumps over her skin.

Sight came back, in the maybe-man’s place a… skeleton… of course it was a skeleton. “W-who are you? Why am I here?” Y/N stammered, finding issues working her voice. No sound left her, but the impression obviously made it over.

**“Doesn’t matter. Looking at you. I don’t know why Ink chose you. Or how he convinced me.** ** _His_** **anger is funny but… you… aren’t. You’re still having** ** _enough_** **_fun_** **that I can’t watch you. Have to do my job and all. Seeing as this was supposed to be a break it… isn’t fitting”**

His job? Because she was having fun? Please, as if Y/N’s anxiety was truly letting her have fun. Even if the amusement park was amazing. That’s just was theme parks were supposed to do though!

**“Not the point. Why were you chosen? Never mind that. I’m here to change things. If this continues, it will just be extra work. My brother doesn’t see that as an issue but… eh, he’s not me.”**

Change things? How could he make things any worse! The skeletons already mostly hated her! It’d been a pain getting them to accept her as is! Even then, she’d already died once. How was that not the worst it could go?

**“So many questions. No answers.”** The...man said simply. His now skeletal hand reaching out to touch her chest.

What did he think he was doing! Was he one of the ones behind this? Of course he was! Damnit! She didn’t ask for this! Stop trying to make things worse! How dare he even try! Y/N couldn’t believe this.

**“So mad? Good.”**

Y/N would’ve gasped if she had lungs, the skeleton taking back his hands. The void around her falling away. Her anger left her, falling from her fingers as gravity took a hold. Eyes falling shut once more, ears unhearing.

**“Sweet Dreams”**

A soul faded to gray.

**-=-=-=-**

**_Pick A Soul Trait:_ **

**_Determination: #@#$?$#%#@ [ ]_ **

**_Courage: #@$?@#$@!) [ ]_ **

**_Patience: #@*$(@*#((*!$^ [ ]_ **

**_Perseverance: *($)# &@! [ ]_ **

**_Integrity: )(#%^*(*@#*! [ ]_ **

**_Kiiiiiiiiii54872354@ &!$*&@#%6$%*&@# [ERROR]_ **

**_#@$ &(*%^@!#^*#@$^&%*#^@%&$#*&^%&$#*_ ** **_  
_ ** **_#@^$(*#@ &%*(@#$^*(#@%^*#@^%_ **

**_01000110 01101001 01101110 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101101 01100101 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110100 01100101 01110010 01100101 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01100101 01101110_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bright new day, Reader should start by...  
> A) Cooking Up Some Breakfast  
> B) Getting A Nice Workout In  
> C) Chatting Up The Others In The House
> 
> After a bland day of work, Reader should get to know...  
> A) Sugar  
> B) Hickory  
> C) Mutt
> 
> Well, that was something, Reader decides to get dinner and talks to...  
> A) Grillby  
> B) Swirlby  
> C) Firefly
> 
> Oh, and before I forget, pick a soul trait.   
> Remember: Every choice matters, each has it's negatives and positive sides no matter how bad the choices my seem. Each one gets closer to a bad end, or to the good end. It's never easy to tell, even if you think you can. Y/N's life rests in your hands. You better hold on tight :)


	14. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N has quite the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, I got sad. At least I could inflict it on Y/N.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Courage: bravery, the act of doing some in spite of fear, not the lack of it. Those who are Courageous: Headstrong, brave, often make decisions without thinking.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**[Resume]**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Y/N woke up with gasp, chest burning and eyes watering in pain. Each breath constricting with pain like someone had cut her open and filled the wound with fire ants. Biting and scratching and  _ burning _ .

Vision blurring, Y/N rolled to the side, trying in vain to pull air into her lungs. Tears ran scorching trails down her cheeks, the room aflame in a hundred degree heat. Why did it hurt so much? What happened?

She tossed again, falling from the bed and damn near slamming her head into the bedside table. Y/N choked, pulling herself to her feet but stumbling on knees. Dropping to a kneel, elbows hit against the nightside with a thud. Dragging herself to aching feet and wobbling knees.

Each breath was agony, each step like walking on nails. Where was the injury? Why was she hurt? Y/N couldn’t remember much admittedly. Just the amusement park then passing out in bed, nothing that would cause such an extreme reaction. Yet everything hurt so much.

Bathroom, the bathroom had some sort of medical kit in it, right? Y/N couldn’t remember. Her head throbbed in time with her heart, beating bullets against her chest. Her breaths sped up, not pulling in air even as she went faster and faster.

Calling for help was useless, empty gasps leaving in space of words. Falling more than walking, hitting against walls and furniture as she went. The world spun, floor moving under her feet. The room plotting against her to make her fall. But Y/N knew, she knew if she fell she might not be able to get back up.

The door slammed against the wall as Y/N threw her body into it, the impact not heard or felt beneath the burn of blood pulsing through her veins. She fell against the skin, looking into the mirror only to dimly remember this wasn’t her bathroom. The mirror didn’t double as a cabinet. There were other cabinets for that.

Looking through her hair at her tear stained face, flushed and scrunched in pain in a way that certainly wasn’t ‘cute’ by any measure. Y/N met her own eyes… except they weren’t hers… they weren’t the eyes she’d been born with.

Scorching bronze eyes like flame forge rivets were in place of the oh-so-familiar color. They glittered like metal in the light, false and metallic. The world seemed to shift, the floor falling still. Something snapped into place.

All at once, the pain seemed to disappear. It was so fast that Y/N barely even recognized it was there. In its place a chilling cold that ran goosebumps up her arms and over her exposed skin. Her vision cleared, her chest no longer burning.

Before she could even ask why, the pain had gone. Not a remnant or a trace of why or how, just the empty view of her own almost lifeless looking eyes staring into her. Y/N felt her too-tense muscles relaxed. Her legs gave out.

Y/N had enough energy to turn before she slid to the floor. Head just barely hitting the lip of the marble countertop, back pressed against the wooden cabinet that rested under it, the coolness of the floor sinking through the shorts she’d worn the day prior. All she could do was wonder, why?

By the time Y/N found enough energy to pull herself up, the sun still hadn’t risen. Her phone only read 2 o’clock. She got to sleep at 11-something, 10 hours wasn’t bad. Her hair was a mess, and all physical inspections showed that nothing changed. It all just left Y/N with more questions than answers. Really, that seemed to be a pattern now. One she didn’t really like.

Either way, no matter what caused the pain and what time it apparently was, it was obvious there was no way Y/N was going to be able to fall asleep. Might as well make breakfast or something. She went the day without it yesterday and damn if  _ that _ hadn’t been hell.

Pulling herself together, physically that is, Y/N set about her morning. Emotionally, Y/N would never be together if felt, not anymore. But physically? Well, she could clean up pretty well.   
  


Hair forced into some measure of neatness, falling into soft waves and curls in a way it hadn’t before. Her face washed and eyes dried, light makeup applied to make seem like she hadn’t just nearly died. Then the outfit.

Dressing up was something Y/N didn’t get to do very often. Whether it be from lack of resources, lack of reason, or lack of time. But today? Well, waking up at 2 am certainly gave someone  _ time _ . Reason? Well… dressing up for work wasn’t unheard of, right? So long as it was appropriate that is.

There was a pretty little white number dotted in red roses and pretty green leaves that fit nicely. Sure it was a little tight, especially with the belt that wrapped under her breasts. Sure it accentuated certain parts she’d still rather ignore, going to the bathroom was slowly getting easier to not feel embarrassed about. But it  _ looked _ and  _ felt _ good. A nice pair of black flats were a perfect match and, hey, it fell below the knees. Take  _ that _ dress code.

Pulling her hair up and away from her face, Y/N took a look at herself in her mirror. The stranger that stared back at her was unfamiliar… but damn if it wasn’t  _ her _ . It was her, alive if not well. Wasn’t staying alive the only real goal Y/N had ever had? Two deaths wasn’t that great but it could be worse. Besides, she looked damn good regardless.

Nodding her head, and watching the unfamiliar reflection nod back, Y/N turned and made her way out. This time she remembered to grab a nice leather bag to make her inventory reasonable. Even if her life was nothing close to ‘reasonable’.

It was no surprise but there wasn’t anyone awake as she made her way downstairs. Sure, Y/N took the longest to get ready she probably ever had, about an hour at that, but it still meant it was only 3 am. Who in their right mind would be awake at 3am?

Y/N was awake at 3am… but seeing as how ‘right mind’ didn’t really apply, she didn’t count. Walking down the hall, Y/N feigned a confidence she didn’t feel. Each little noise made her feel like she might wake someone up. It was a lot but maybe if she pretended to be confident in herself, it might actually happen.

Was cooking something she was good at? No, definitely not according to her skills. Was she going to try anyway? Yep… Well, actually, she did have a lot of skill points… and it wasn’t like she’d used any of them. So maybe Y/N would be good at cooking for the first time ever.

Popping into the  **Pause** screen, Y/N made her way to her skills… only to pause as she noticed something was oddly different about the screen. Rather than the beautiful greens pulsing through the metallic room, it was a deep burnt orange, like molten metal.

The image of her soul was displayed on the same screen as always, looking nothing like it had before. Instead of a delightful color the shades of forests and stems of roses, it was the bright orange of the glow of a fire. A dark, coal-like shade of green like dead plants lumped in the middle.

**-SOUL-**

**LV 1 (EXP 2)**

**Traits:** **Kindness,** **Courage**

Choking on a lump in her throat, Y/N stumbled away from the screen of ‘her’ soul. No, nope, not gonna question that. Questioning that would ruin her sanity beyond what already happened. Y/N was just going to make so she could cook better and leave.

**Cooking (Level 10) - Active - INT + Level of Skill + 20% Cooking Speed**

That didn’t look pretty even with the higher level… maybe buff her intelligence too? Yeah… she had points to spare and after the last time she tried to head to the library, Y/N wasn’t trying again. 

**STR: 24**

**END: 18**

**DEX: 16**

**AGI: 17 ***

**INT: 18 ***

**WIS: 16**

**CHA: 42**

**LUK: 6**

**Points: 18**

With most of her stats above 15, except  **LUK** but that was useless now considering god was conspiring against her, Y/N left the save screen. Time to figure out how to cook. And what to cook. Omelette? Crepes? Actually, crepes sound pretty good… how do you make crepes?

Y/N wondered as she made her way through the kitchen, trying to find where everything was. A ping caught her attention as she opened a door to… another smaller kitchen? And here she thought it was just a pantry.

**[Cooking Tip!]**

**Strawberry Crepes -**

**Ingredient Checklist**

**3 eggs** **  
** **½ cup milk** **  
** **½ cup water** **  
** **3 tablespoons butter, melted** **  
** **¾ cup all-purpose flour** **  
** **½ teaspoon salt** **  
** **1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened** **  
** **1 ¼ cups sifted confectioners' sugar** **  
** **1 tablespoon lemon juice** **  
** **1 teaspoon lemon zest** **  
** **½ teaspoon vanilla extract** **  
** **1 cup heavy cream, whipped** **  
** **4 cups sliced strawberries**

**…**

Huh… is that what the cooking skill did? Y/N hadn’t exactly tried cooking herself before but maybe. Wasn’t like she’d know. Either way, it was dead useful because before Y/N could barely cook an egg. But crepes? Well, this was certainly going to be a new experience.   
  
Body moving on auto pilot, Y/N followed a recipe provided to her by the gods themselves. It had to be the gods because Y/N sure had hell didn’t know where it was coming from otherwise.    
  
She zoned back in while the crepe was cooking away on a colorful non-stick frying pan, freshly cut strawberries and whipped cream waiting off to the side. Her overly-frayed skele-senses went off. Or maybe it was the tapping of his boned feet against the tile that caught her attention.

Warm oranges and yellows and magentas bathed over the kitchen as the sun peeked over the valley. A soft glow that illuminated everything like a dream. When had the sun even started to rise? The clock on the stoke read 3:30, so she’d only been out of it for thirty minutes. 

Not wanting to turn around, but also not wanting to keep her back to something potentially dangerous, Y/N turned to her visitor. Err… housemate? Acquaintance? Nah, she barely knew anything about him. Visitor is then.

A soft, fluffy purple robe drowned most of the skeleton's frame, lavender bones and heart-shaped freckles were vaguely familiar. This was… Spice? Or was that his brother? Y/N couldn’t remember. Don’t blame her though, she wasn’t exactly all there when she met them.

“Oh, morning… Ssss,” Y/N spotted the powdered sugar in a bowl off to the side, “Sugar was it?” Please be right, please be right, please be right. Y/N gave the skeleton her best smile.

“Sure am~” Sugar gave her a sultry smile, it was kind of dragged down by the kind obvious looking bags under his eyes. Just a darker purple than the rest of his bones. Maybe he didn’t get much sleep last night either?

“Pleasure to meet you. Want a crepe? I’m… probably going to have extra here.” Y/N hummed, turning back to add her freshly made crepe to the plate and pouring the small bit of remaining batter into the skillet.

“Huh, uh, sure?” He sounded confused. Fair, if a stranger offered her food too, she’d be confused and still accept because hey, free food. Sugar moved to lean against the island of the smaller mess-kitchen. The tad too-loose robe pushed up and to the side by the pressure, revealing slivered of his ribcage. He went to tap on his phone, doing something. Deep lavender eyes still seem to drill into her back.

Y/N shrugged it off best she could. At least he wasn’t openly attacking her. Then again, wasn’t that the bare minimum? Doesn’t matter. If she really bothered to have standards in this world, she’d probably go insane or get killed rejecting these guys. Best to roll with the punches.

“So, I got some strawberries, some whipped cream, and some powdered sugar. How much do you want? Personally, I got a bit of a  _ sweet tooth _ so I’m probably gonna want a lot of sugar on mine.” Y/N asked innocently because hey, she offered to make them so she wasn’t going to make him top his breakfast.

“I  _ love _ sugar. Sweet things are _ my _ bread and butter, okay sweetie?” Sugar humed in response, a soft magenta-y colored flush on his cheekbones. He seemed vaguely uncomfortable despite his flirty voice and pet names. It certainly wasn’t obvious by any stretch of the imagination. It just felt like it was irrefutably  _ there _ .

“Nice, seems we have something in common.” Y/N chose not to acknowledge the pet name or… well anything else about that statement. All she was going to say was that he was being nice and leave it at that. No more, no less.

Humming a random tune as she cooked, the conversation fell dead. Sugar tapping away at his phone again. Neither really acknowledged the other but at least it wasn’t awkward. Hell, Y/N could almost forget he was even there. Now  _ that _ was an accomplishment.

Dusting plenty of sugar, strawberries, and whipped cream over the two plates, the two elapsed into silence. Y/N cut up and bit into her crepe, almost squeaking in surprise when it actually tasted kinda good. That was… not expected. Had she ever made anything so good? No… but that was a very low bar anyway.

“Hm?  _ Oh _ this  _ is _ good.” Sugar moaned around a mouthful, seeming just as surprised as Y/N. At least they were on the same page. He scarfed down his portion in practically a fraction of a second. 

“Woah, slow down, you’re gonna choke.” Y/N snorted, almost choking on her portion instead. Then again, she had a throat and Sugar… well didn’t. So really, choking wasn’t really a possibility, was it?

“Yeah, whatever.” Sugar mumbled, shooting her an odd look. Then he just… turned back to his phone and ignored her. Kinda rude but alright. Y/N wasn’t about to complain. Maybe he wasn’t even ignoring her, maybe he was as hyper-aware of her presence as she was of his. Why that would be Y/N wouldn’t know. Wasn’t like she was passively threatening his existence.

An almost awkward silence arose, Y/N wasn’t really sure what to say… and also didn’t really feel like speaking. There was still an itchy feeling over her arms. It wasn’t exactly something she could itch, almost like it was coming from the bone. The ghost of the feeling of suffocating over her chest also didn’t help.

Still, it was only… maybe 5:00 by the time everything was eaten, cleaned, and put away. By her, Sugar had just sort of watched. ‘Sort of’ because while Y/N could feel his eyes on her, everytime she glanced at him he had his eyelights trained on his phone. They seemed hazy.

Work started at… 6 if she was remembering right. So that gave her about an hour? It took like twenty minutes to the main building if she followed along right… was Ruth up? It wouldn’t hurt to check. It wasn’t good to show up late to their second day of work.

“It was nice eating with you Sugar, have a nice rest of your day.” Y/N waved at the small warm-looking skeleton. Now, where was Ruth’s room? Did she ever mention it? Maybe? Something about the bottom floor. Y/N didn’t remember much.

‘Something something bottom floor’ was… well accurate. Mostly because Ruth’s room was the  _ entire  _ bottom floor. Actually, it was almost an entire apartment of its own. Much larger than Y/N’s apartment, both in her first life and her ‘room’ on the top floor. Was that an indoor pool? 

It was a tad messy, clothes just sort of randomly placed around the room. Now all Y/N had to do was find the bedroom. As in the actual bed. Not all this other stuff that could be a master suite apartment in some large city all on it’s own.

Y/N couldn’t stop herself from scratching at her arm as she went, and if she scratched at one she had to scratch at the other. It had to feel even. Instead she came across a gaming room, a tv room, a walk in-closet bigger than her first apartment. The biggest bathroom she’d ever seen, and with far more gold than she’d ever seen again. At least two seating rooms, and  _ then _ she stumbled across the bedroom.

Naturally, it was far bigger than would ever be necessary with a bed at least a dozen people could sleep on at the same time. A large dresser, a Tv -because of course it had one- and a makeup station with what looked like more product than Sephora could ever dream of.

On the bed, nestled neatly under the covers, was Ruth. Her messy hair splayed out, a bit in her mouth, only a portion of her eyes visible under the blanket cocoon she’d made. An alarm that almost sounded like a Simlish version of ‘Barbie Girl’ blaring on the dresser right next to her head. How was she even still asleep?

Sighing in relief, because damn that took longer than expected, Y/N padded her way to the bed. Sitting down, and having to crawl closer to Ruth because of how big the bed was, Y/N gently shook her shoulder.

No response. Y/N shook a little harder. No response. Harder still and still no response. Okay, that was fine, Y/N had experience with this in the form of cousins who could sleep through nuclear bombs.

First, Y/N crawled off the bed. She tugged the blankets out from where they were tucked tightly under the mattress. Gathering her strength, Y/N got into position and  _ pulled _ . Perhaps she’d underestimated how much stronger she was with the game system because the blankets went flying.

Then, Y/N threw the still screaming phone at her. Safe to say, Ruth woke up with a start as the much colder room temperature air assaulted her… and of course the phone to the face helped. 

Y/N squeaked, averting her eyes as soon as she realized Ruth apparently slept naked. She turned and walked over to the dresser and started rummaging for clothes for Ruth to wear. It helped hide the flush of embarrassment at what she’d just done.

“Y/N-ie! What was _ that _ for?” Ruth whined, rubbing at her face with one hand and turning off the phone with the other. She sat up, curls toppling startlingly neatly. Which was fully bullshit by the way. Main character powers perhaps. 

“Well, first of all, We need to get ready for work. Or rather,  _ you  _ do.” Y/N pulled out something that looked almost modest and tossed it at Ruth, “Come on, you should have at least enough time for a shower if you hurry.”

“If I… Eep! I’m going to be late!” Ruth squealed, toppling off of her bed. She would’ve easily taken the sheets with her had they not already been on the floor. Y/N couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her as she watched Ruth scramble to the bathroom. Which was weird, that wasn’t funny.

Shaking her head, Y/N picked the sheets and blankets off the ground as half-heartedly re-made the bed. It was nowhere near as neat as it had been when Ruth was still sleeping in it -because  _ that _ made sense- but it was made. Somehow the sheets even felt expensive.

Plopping down on the edge of the bed to wait, Y/N occupied herself smoothing out the wrinkles in her cherry-covered dress. Cherry… how  _ was _ cherry doing? Hopefully things were going well for her… did that world even exist anymore? How did this world and life thing even work? Was that the end of Cherry’s story or was there something more? Why did it feel like Y/N was forgetting something?

What was Y/n forgetting? Probably quite a bit of things, logically speaking. Not that anything else had bothered her like this. It was like an itch in the back of her skull that she couldn’t quite scratch. A memory bubbling under the surface. A word, or name? On the edge of her tongue…

“Rosen, Get up. I’m Driving You To… Work… WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?” Razzberry entered the floor not yelling and then immediately got loud as soon as he saw Y/N. First of all, rude. Second of all, why was the automatic response to all of these skeletons seeing her getting hella loud?

“I was waking up Ruth? What are you doing here?” Y/N stood, looking and speaking at him with a confidence she didn’t quite feel. The red on her outfit stood out like a sore thumb in the white and golden room, brighter than even the soft pink sheets and only rivaled by the makeup station.

“ARE YOU DEAF? I SAID I WAS GOING TO DRIVE  _ MY _ ROSEN TO WORK.” Razz growled in response, walking over in an attempt to tower over Y/N. It didn’t work, the skeleton was basically eye-level with her chest, but he tried. At least he tried.

“You were across the floor. Past several walls. Actually, how did you even get to the bedroom so fast?” It was a serious question. It had taken Y/N probably like 20 minutes to get to the bedroom. Sure, she’d opened practically every door on the way there but still.

“BECAUSE UNLIKE YOU, I AM CAPABLE OF GETTING PLACES IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.” Admittedly, he was quite intimidating with just how loud he was being. Y/N never did well with yelling. Not to mention, Razz’s canines were uncannily sharp. Not quite as bad as Red’s shark teeth but still. He could probably bite right through her femur. Or maybe she was just overreacting.

“That’s-” Fair? Completely unreasonable? Made no sense? Whatever Y/N was about to say was interrupted as Ruth, sprang from the bathroom. Hair damp and in a set of clothes that were definitely not what Y/N gave her.

Wet curls fell delicately over one shoulder, a green and gold striped jumpsuit cinched at the waist and with a V-neck that wouldn’t fly in any workplace Y/N knew of. A nice pair of flats, probably the first shoes Ruth had worn that weren’t heels. Golden bangles and emerald earring. She even had a completely unnecessary windbreaker. It was still 85-something degrees out, and would likely get hotter too. Not Y/N’s place to stop her regardless.

“Razz-y baby~” Ruth sang, pulling Razz away from Y/N and planting a cheek on his cheekbone. The back of his skull was pressed against her much larger bosom. She gave Y/N a bright smile.

“Why don’t you go wait downstairs while I freshen up? I promise I’ll take no longer than a moment.” Razz sighed, pulling away from her and making his way out of the room.

“Just don’t take too long.” Razz snipped in reply, practically stomping out. Ruth smiled merrily waving as her boyfriend left. No sooner did he leave did Ruth’s mood take a U-turn. Her smile tightened and turned sharp.

Y/N froze as Ruth turned on her, something in the air darkening and curling in her chest. Her hands moved to scratch as her forearms again, leaving white lines raked into her skin. She barely noticed, barely felt anything other than an odd itch under her skin.

“Now, Y/N,  _ sweetie _ .” Ruth spoke, sweet as honey. She lifted her perfectly manicured hand to cup Y/N’s face. Something about it and the too tight grip kept Y/N stuck in place, legs like lead weights.

“I thought we agreed you would stay  _ away _ from Razz, hmmm?” She hummed, nails digging into Y/N’s flesh uncomfortably. Words got stuck in her throat, dragging uncomfortably on their way out. It weighed on her chest, each word coming out tight and tad too high pitched.

“I didn't do anything? He-” Y/N winced, biting her tongue as Ruth’s nails broke her skin, a thin bead of blood trailing down her skin. Her own grip squeezed against her arms, an odd feeling like tv static invading its way under her skin.

“ _ Don’t you dare pin this on Razz, I know you. You do this every time _ .” Ruth’s face scrunched up in a glare. Every time? What did she mean? Did it have something to do with this body? That didn’t make any sense. Did she replace someone else again? Damnit, she thought she was free of this.

“I-I, d-didn’t…” “ _ Stay away from him, skank. _ ” Ruth spat, rearing her hand and slapping Y/N across the face. Nothing, then a soft prickling of pain, drowned out by the tv static overtaking her body.

She stared blankly to the side where her head had been forced. Nothing but her breathing reaching her ears. What? Y/N didn’t understand. Ruth was so… so nice? And now… not? What was that accusation? Logically, it made sense. The last body had a backstory and a past, it made sense this one did too. Emotionally, Y/N didn’t understand.

Ruth was the main character, the protagonist, the heroine that had all of these skeletons chasing after her. Maybe Y/N was making too many assumptions but, wasn’t someone like that supposed to be...she didn’t know… nicer? Cherry was… even with Y/N barely knowing her… God she missed Cherry, she missed her old life. Both of them.

Y/N wanted to go home, she wanted to go home so badly but she didn’t even know where home was. A different time, a different place, a different dimension entirely probably. God, she thought she was safe. Well, maybe not safe but safer. Especially after everything that’s happened. Did she at least deserve that?

Or did Y/N just not deserve anything. She had to have done something to deserve this. Maybe in a past life she didn’t remember. Something had to have gone wrong. Why? Why were things like this?

The world around her came back into focus slowly, not that Y/N had realized it had disappeared at all. She was still in the same position, breath stuttering. Her eyes felt far too dry, blood having dried against her face… She should probably clean that. Yeah, probably.

Her legs felt wobbly and stiff as she stepped forward, almost but not quite tripping over her own two feet. Barely even aware she made her way into the bathroom to stare at herself over the mirror.

Blood droplets had hit her dress, mostly camouflaged by the red already there. It raked from small but surprisingly deep scratches on her cheek like tears. They were obviously aggravated by the bright pink hand-shaped mark on her cheek.

Grabbing a small towel, she wet it and gently rubbed away as much of the dried blood as she could. The pressure brought more small droplets to the surface, lightly smeared by the towel. With enough effort, even that was washed away.

While the small cuts were easy enough to ignore, the bright pink on her cheek was probably less so. Y/N couldn’t quite bring herself to care. It was fading by the second anyway. So she just brushed her fair over the offending cheek, tossed the towel into a golden hamper, and left.

It was much easier to find her way downstairs than it had been to find Ruth’s room. Or, well, bedroom more specifically. Razz and Ruth had already left by the time she made it to the front door. Which left Y/N wondering how she was supposed to get to work. It wasn’t like she had a car…

Y/N stared blankly at the door, sighing. Her hands scratched lightly at her arms again. At least the continuous movement was almost calming. It didn’t provide any answer on how she was going to get to work but still.

“Hmm? You didn’t tell me there was  _ another _ human woman in this house?” An unfamiliar, almost startlingly deep voice spoke from behind. Unlike literally anyone else in the household, Y/N could barely hear him.

“That’s Ruth's cousin. Ya know,  _ that _ one.” Was that… which one was that… Sans? Yeah, it sounded kinda like Sans. Y/N gathered up her courage and turned around to see yet another tall skeleton, two in fact.

The taller of the two was only so by a few inches, a stark contrast to the large height difference between any of the other brothers. His eyes were narrowed in a squint, seemingly unhelped by the glasses placed delicately against the bridge of his nose. How those stayed on without him having ears was a good question that Y/N didn’t know the answer to. The two scars, one running from his right eye up and the other splintering off to the side of his left eye, were the obvious reasons he needed them.

A simple grey turtleneck sweater was layered under a black trenchcoat. The coat had a nice fur lining far cleaner than anyone else she’d seen it on and the coat stopped at his knees. Sharp black slacks and a nice pair of gray boots finished off his ensemble. He wasn’t looking at her, simply staring off to the side at a wall. Something about the air around him is cold and intimidating.

While the shorter of the two stood only at 6 feet, because Y/N knew enough tall people to say ‘only’, his stature and just… something about him made him feel larger than he really was. He had scars that almost mirrored his brother’s but his seemed harsher, branching off in several places. Somehow, these didn’t seem to bother him. Eyes catlike and narrow but much clearer than his brother, golden eyelights staring directly at her.

Very much unlike his brother, he wasn’t wearing anything under his jacket. Just a bare rib cage that Y/N guessed was supposed to be sexy or something, she never understood the appeal but for some reason it was still affecting her? Or maybe just this body she inherited, who knows. His jacket was made of leather, cropped just below where his rib cage ended. Deep red symbols painted along the rolled up sleeves of it. He also had a fluffy hood that was also rather neat.

Meanwhile, he also had chosen leather pants that, while strung up by a belt, much resembled how the Edge of Cherry’s story wore them. The tops of his hips poking out. Sturdy steel-toed boots with fluff at the stop decorated his feet. Somehow, he was smoking. The cigarette just seeming to hang by his lazy smile where his mouth should be.

“My name is Y/N Wyles,” Y/N introduced herself to them in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. On the scale of how much each set of skeletons intimidated her, these two were above Blueberry and Carrot but below Jakobar and Buz. It was mostly a presence thing. “Who are you?”

“Y/N, what an  _ interesting _ name, shouldn’t you be at work  _ Y/N _ ?” The shorter of the two mused, so he was the voice who’d sounded almost like Sans. There was definitely a different intonation to it, a second darker layer she didn’t quite understand. Almost as if he had two voices in one. It was barely noticeable but, hey, he might try and kill her so she might as well try and pay attention to the little things.

“Yeah, Ruth left without me though. Who are you?” The skeleton just chuckled, how was his voice so much deeper when he laughed? He crossed the living room in only a few easy strides. His brother turned his head to look back at the two, staring for just long enough to make Y/N uncomfortable, and turning away again. Her mood soured.

“Oh, really now? That can’t do. We’re going that way, if nothing else I’m sure we can  _ entertain _ you with a ride.” Scarface, if he wasn’t going to tell her his name then that’s what she’d call him, towered over Y/N. Maybe by only a couple inches physically but just something about his posture, shoulders back and looking down his nose at her, made Y/N feel tiny.

“I’m good.” Y/N managed to get out, turning and going towards where she was mostly sure the garage was. Maybe Ruth  **_\--whywhatdidido--_ ** had a spare car she could use. Judging by the rest of, well, everything, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Wasn’t like money was an issue. 

A pair of keys belonging to a bright, cherry red car were labelled with her name. Which was.. Strange. Y/N didn’t remember owning a car but then again she didn’t know anything about this body. That much was obvious.

Nothing interesting could be said about her day at work. They’d shoved her back into the security department as soon as she’d clocked in. Not soon after she was forced into the security room. This time alone, thank god. Y/N didn’t know if she could handle another few hours with Red.

Several hours in a dark room covered in screens was pretty boring. Nothing really interesting appeared on any of the cameras. If there was anything else Y/N was supposed to do in there, no one told her. Fine by Y/N. Getting money for doing nothing? Practically a dream. A rather boring dream but still. Maybe she’d bring something to entertain herself next time, just in case.

By the time Y/N returned home, she was quite a bit richer and quite a bit bored. At least she hadn’t seen Ruth  **_\--smallmercies--_ ** The car drove like a dream too. Real leather seats and polished wood accents. The golden accessories few and far between. Had to be the nicest car Y/N had so much as even touched.

Absentmindedly checking her stats, Y/N tried to figure out what to do now. Sure,  **INT** was probably her lowest stat but after her last attempt to raise it… yeah, she could do that later… maybe with a buddy this time.

On the other hand, she hadn’t worked out since… maybe a couple days before she died… again  **_\--againandagainandagain--_ ** She knew this place had a home gym somewhere… definitely somewhere. It was too big to not have practically everything under the sun. It had a fucking infinity pool, there had to be a gym somewhere, right?

Right. Y/N wasn’t about to admit how long it took her to just  _ find _ the gym. Let’s just say this place is too big for its own good and move on. It’s for the best. Either way, she found it just fine. Don’t question it.

Much like the rest of the mansion Y/N found herself in, the gym was also eerily large and far too fancy for its own good. If she thought the skeleton house in Cherry’s run had a lot of space in its gym, it was dwarfed by this one. It had floor to ceiling windows along the back wall but it had other rooms on all four sides? How? Sizing who? Magic, don’t question it.

The floor was a nice linoleum that looked like a snow white marble floor at a glance. There was a section in the gym for weight lifting, one for cardio, and even a section dedicated to yoga and dance. Along the right wall, there was even a door that looked like it led to a sauna.

Along the opposing wall was racks of dumbbells and weights, all looking pristine and practically untouched. Whether it was from lack of use or obsessive cleaning, who knew. Just beyond the weights were several freestanding pull up bars… wait, no, those were the bars gymnasts used… right? Don’t look at Y/N, she’s an idiot.

There was only one other person in the room. Dressed in a dark cyan with neon pink striped bodysuit was Sugar. The suit ending just above his knees and hugging invisible muscles in a way that made Y/N stare… no not that way. Skeletons didn’t have muscles so what the hell?

Sugar was hanging by his knees on one of the bars, tapping away at his phone like falling didn’t even cross his mind. It almost made sense, skeletons didn’t have to worry about blood rushing to their head since, you know, they don’t  _ have _ blood.

“Workin’ out in that sweetpea?” He called out, seeming to judge her fashion sense yet still didn’t even look from his phone. A fellow addict perhaps. Then again, Y/N was like a recovering addict. She hadn’t really had time to think about that since…  **_\--dying?--_ ** yeah… ignore that train of thought.

“No, I was… uhm… just finding the gym before I got changed?” Y/N was  _ not _ about to admit she forgot. Because she did, but it was the point of the matter. Either way, she edged out of the gym and found her room as quickly as possible.

Despite knowing exactly where her room was, the sheer size of the mansion meant it still took at least 10 minutes to reach it. Still, Y/N managed. Finding a nice set of workout clothes that fit was much more difficult. Never before had she realized how tight all the clothes Ruth had bought for her were. Just enough to be awkward without getting too in the way. Perhaps a petty revenge for what this body had done to her? Maybe.

The only good thing that came from that was the sports bra stopped all jiggling in its place. Did it push up her boobs awkwardly and make it a tad hard to breath? Yes. Was it her best option? Also yes, She pulled a nice blue tank top over it because she still had  _ some _ modesty, okay? A pair of black shorts with a white band and a Kelvin Calvin brand that matched her bra finished the look.

Y/N pulled back her hair, slid on the nicest pair of gray and cyan sneakers she’s ever worn, and made her way back down to the gym, a random water bottle she’d found filled in her closet in hand. If nothing else, it smelled and had the same consistency as water. Still, Y/N gave it a good rinse and refill before she went back.

Sugar was still in the gym when she’d got back, stretched into a position that made Y/N jealous of his flexibility. He was on one of the yoga mats now. He’d manipulated his body so that his spin seemed to be bent into an ‘O’ shape where his pelvis was sat on his skull. His arms were in front of him, still tapping away at  _ something _ on his phone. Really, Y/N kind of just wanted to know what was so interesting.

Well, ignoring that, Y/N surveyed the room again and picked one of the squat bars. In her past life, in highschool, the bar itself had been basically her limit. Even just setting up the bar revealed that was no longer the case. How much was the bar again? Y/N didn’t know. What she did know was she put about 40 lbs on the bar. So compounded that was… a number.

“Now now, going without a spotter?” Sugar seemed to appear out of thin air, leaning on the wall behind her, “You could get seriously hurt~” He purred. Was he flirting with Y/N? Or was that just his usual tone of voice? Did Y/N even know what being flirted with was like? Fuck no. So ignoring that.

“Well, I’m pretty sure no one in this mansion likes me, so unless you want to-” Y/N sighed out before she was cut off by Sugar. What was with these people and cutting her off?

“Don’t like you? Sweetie, you feed something delightfully  _ sweet _ . Let me  _ make it up to you _ . Mkay~” It wasn’t a question, Y/N knew enough from… well from mostly her parents to tell when something was posed as a question but definitely wasn’t. Really, it was the most annoying type of command in the world. Just say what you mean.

“Okay, fine.” The rest of Y/N’s gym adventure went similarly. Sugar spotting her, them making semi-awkward conversation, and Sugar being surprisingly knowledgeable on the limits of the body. It was actually quite educational, which Y/N wasn’t expecting. Dare she say it was… fun?

Horror to the thought. Working out? Fun? In what world? This one, apparently. It was almost a pity when Lust had to excuse himself to leave. Y/N was not about to push her luck though, choosing to finish off her workout in silence,

Then she went and took a shower. Something was making her feel icky but it didn’t seem like the sweat? Even after she was clean she still felt… off… how strange.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

It didn’t make sense. Even looking back on it, Sugar couldn’t figure out what had changed. Maybe it was better to start from the beginning? Would that make it easier? Think through it logically? That’s how his brother always told him to go about these things.

Okay, so, Sugar had gotten home at about 2:30 am. Average time for him, he did work the night shift. Hell, if anything, he got off early. So he took a shower and went to get something to eat before he slept as much of the day away as he could physically handle. Fun, right?

So what if he’d met Ruth’s cousin, Y/N? Y/N, Y/N, Y/N. She’d made him food, a crepe even. It had tasted great, they’d not talked a lot but that was mostly Sugar’s preference. It was nice even. God knows Ruth could never shut up. Somehow, Y/N had even made it appropriately sweet. No one could do that. Only his brother but then again he and his brother were… well, moving on.

Nothing had really struck Y/N as odd or overly special. Yes, she could cook but so could Sugar when he had the energy. That wasn’t anything special. No, what he hadn’t expected is what he would get the second time they’d met that day.

After waking up like he always did, groggily and with his body having far more energy than he felt, he’d made his way to the gym to burn some of it off. He’d been there for maybe a couple hours when Y/N had entered. Sweet, sweet Y/N. No, stop it thoughts!

Immediately, Sugar picked up  _ something  _ being different. It was sweet and acidic, burning his nostrils even from all the way across the room. It smelled like strawberries and sunshine mixed with coarse oil and too many cigarettes. Light and air yet dark and demeaning all at once. From afar it was enough to make him light headed and all he knew was that it was coming from  _ her _ .

It had disappeared with her, lingering loftily in the air and disappearing by the second. A dark feeling of loss came as it left. It left a buzzing in his bones that was so strange yet so oddly familiar. He wanted… he wanted  _ more _ of it. So much more. He’d only known it for a moment but… well, Sugar had always been prone to addiction, hadn’t he?

Then… then Y/N came  _ back _ and  _ stayed _ . It was easy to tell she had no idea what she was doing. The way she fidgeted with the weights and seemed surprised by her own strength. The smell was stronger now. Maybe it was because she was showing more skin?

But, just by the nature of his work, Sugar was practically immune to all of that. Or at least, that’s what he thought. The dark but oh so light scent pulled him closer. He hadn’t even noticed he’d gotten closer till he realized she was about to do the squat without knowing her strength or having a spotter.

Naturally, he offered. Sugar did consider himself to be at least a shadow of a gentleman. If nothing else, he had more manners than  _ some _ people. He could control himself, he always did.

Thus began the most torturous workout of his life. The longer he stayed, the stronger the scent seemed to become. Time flew by yet dragged oh so slowly along. He was dizzy, bones buzzing when he so much as brushed against her. Fuck, he felt high. Maybe drunk at the same time but this was something he’d never experienced before.

Sugar was surprised to find she was injured. Well not just surprised… The cuts on her cheek… she’d probably not meant to show him, the way her hair was it looked like she was hiding it. It… it made him angry… who had hurt her? Who’d hurt Y/N?  _ His Y/N? _

It was then… at that thought he had to leave. He was being ridiculous. He barely knew Y/N yet he was acting so rashly over some strange… wonderful.. Dark… addictive… fuck no! Get it together! She isn’t his, she’s a person. People don’t get treated like toys or dolls! Get. It.  **_Together_ ** .

So now Sugar was pacing in his room, back and forth, back and forth. Trying desperately to keep his skull on right, his thoughts away from her but he couldn’t. It wasn’t like this this morning? Was it? Had he just not noticed? Was he too tired? Why was Y/N…

Y/N… Y/N… Y/N, Y/N, Y/N… why…

What changed?

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**Name: Sugar Aster**

**Universe: Underlust**

**HP: 1**

**REP: 8**

**Trust: -100**

**Possessiveness: 5**

**Jealousy: -100**

**Lust: 15**

**Danger Levels: 15**

**Sanity: 60**

**Height: 5’3**

**Occupation: Stripper at Loveby’s Lovely Nightclub**

**What the fuck was** **_that_ **

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Working out left Y/N hungry, surprise surprise. Now, she could try and cook something… However, she didn’t really feel like braving the kitchen. Sure, she hadn’t bumped into Ruth…  _ yet _ . It was dinner time, Ruth was probably in the kitchen.

Maybe, maybe she’d head to Grillby’s? It was a bar and grill, surely she could just walk in if it wasn’t too busy… right? Right. She could do that. Get a place at the bar, maybe make an old friend a new one?

Turns out, no she couldn’t. It had to be Friday night happy hour because the place was packed. Y/N could tell just by looking at it. She’d had to park several blocks away even. But… that was fine… she didn’t really want Grillby’s anyway… No she wasn’t lying to herself either.

At least Y/N knew of a couple smaller restaurants that probably had space maybe she could -  **thud** \- … not run into someone. Damnit. At least they only bumped shoulders.

“Sorry,” Y/N turned to look at the man she’d just bumped into. A familiar walking galaxy met her gaze. Oh fuck it was Andy… of course she had to run into him,

“ _ It’s alright, _ ” Andy trailed off, “ _ Do I know you? _ ” He looked her up and down, right… Y/N hadn’t gotten changed out of her workout gear, had she? Well, at least she had a reasonable excuse?

“Yeah! I’m Y/N Wyles. I think I ran into you a couple days ago? Swirlby, right?” Y/N offered a kind, if tight smile. It was nice to talk to someone familiar, even if he didn’t know it.

“ _ Ah! Going for a jog? _ ” His voice was quite pleasant, somehow even more so than in Cherry’s run. Which was a surprise but, then again, it wasn’t like the original game had much in the way of voice acting. It was unfair how pretty he was.

“Yep! Getting in some evening cardio! Knew there were a few restaurants down here so I thought I’d get dinner while I was out.” The lie came surprisingly easy. Then again, it wasn’t technically a lie. She  _ had _ been getting some evening cardio in. It’s just that that’s not why she was here.

“ _ I just got off. I know a place _ .” Swirlby smiled, face warm and eyes burning like the sun. Something warm curled in her chest. Yet, at the same time, that odd static started at her fingertips. Y/N smiled back.

Maybe, just maybe, they could become friends again. A friendly face would be nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swirlby offers to show you a nice place, the reader should...  
> A) Go to dinner with Swirlby  
> B) Go someplace else with Swirlby  
> C) Go eat dinner alone
> 
> The next day, reader should get to know...  
> A) Ruth  
> B) Sans  
> C) Sugar
> 
> It was warm afternoon, Reader goes out and ends up...  
> A) Gardening with Cotton  
> B) Going to the library (New character)  
> C) Window shopping with 'Scarface'

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [You might have made the wrong choice...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26597377) by [TheCuriousCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCuriousCat/pseuds/TheCuriousCat)




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